Iran dismisses head of state broadcasting company after insulting Sunnis and Saudi Arabia

Iranian authorities have dismissed a state television official and his executive assistant and filed lawsuits against eight other employees for insulting Sunnis and Saudi Arabia.

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Friday that the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Peiman Jbeili, dismissed the director of the first channel on the state television and his executive assistant.

The newspaper reported that this move came after a wave of discontent sparked by a family-oriented religious program that included explicit insults to Sunni beliefs, a first of its kind within the institution, which is under the control of the hardline movement.

Jbeili, a direct representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the organisation, stressed that the primary role of the national radio and television is to unite Iranians, not to fuel divisions.

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He stressed that “working to achieve Islamic unity is the duty of every Muslim, and it is the responsibility of the directors of official channels to ensure that their programmes reflect these principles.”

The newspaper also quotes observers as saying that the reason for the dismissal is related to the programme’s airing of excerpts from an episode broadcast by the Sahar network, which included an offensive interview with a cartoon character supposedly representing Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, but whose features resembled those of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

After the first channel aired an image from this programme for commentary, Iranian television faced a campaign of sharp criticism from politicians, especially since the timing came after Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman’s visit to Tehran.

Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have witnessed growing improvement since the signing of an agreement to normalise relations between the two countries in March 2023, and the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two sides in September of the same year.

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