Iran Expands Cultural Crackdown on Books and Arts

Iran has intensified its long-running crackdown on books, films and music, tightening control over what artists can publish, screen and perform. For writers and publishers inside the country, the pressure is constant — and often invisible. For readers worldwide, it is a stark reminder of how fragile creative freedom can be.

All books in Iran must be submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for approval before publication. Manuscripts often pass through multiple rounds of self-censorship by authors and publishers before they even reach official reviewers. Anonymous state censors can then reject specific pages for vague “ethical” or political concerns, delay permits, or ban titles outright.

A System Built on Pre-Approval and Silence

The current framework traces back to policies formalized after the 1979 revolution and later codified by the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution. The rules were revised again in 2010, reinforcing the state’s authority over what can appear in print. A detailed overview of the system shows how book censorship in Iran operates through pre-publication review and post-publication punishment.

Even books that receive permits can be pulled after complaints from other state bodies, leaving publishers to absorb the financial loss. At past Tehran International Book Fairs, previously approved titles by dissident writers have been barred from display. Subsidies for paper and bulk library purchases tend to favor regime-aligned publishers, increasing pressure on independent houses to stay within ever-shifting “red lines.”

Writers describe a culture where censorship begins long before a government official reads a single word. Many avoid sensitive themes entirely rather than risk rejection or blacklisting. Others have chosen exile.

Why It Matters Beyond Iran

Iran’s cultural controls are not new. The 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie over The Satanic Verses remains one of the most notorious examples of state-backed literary repression in modern history, with global consequences for publishers and booksellers. The episode still shapes conversations about artistic risk and free expression decades later.

Today’s renewed pressure lands at a moment when readers around the world are already debating censorship and access. In the United States alone, lawmakers continue to push sweeping restrictions, from state-level measures to proposals like the federal bill seeking a nationwide school book ban. Globally, book bans have become flashpoints for wider political battles.

Iran’s latest moves underscore a simple truth: stories matter. Governments that fear dissent often start with the arts. For authors, agents and publishers watching from abroad, the situation is more than distant geopolitics. It is a high-stakes test of whether literature can survive — and travel — across borders built to contain it.