In the coming weeks, one of the most trusted independent news sources for Iranians faces the prospect of going silent.
Radio Farda, a nearly three-decade old US-funded Persian-language broadcaster, is expected by its own staff to shut down following budget cuts ordered by President Donald Trump. The move, which is part of broader reductions to US-funded overseas media, could also result in Voice of America Persian and other foreign-language outlets either closed down or significantly scaled back.
The closure would be a major victory for the Iranian regime, analysts have told The National. Tehran has long sought to jam or block Radio Farda's broadcasts, which promote a liberal, pro-democracy agenda that challenges the regime's narrative.
Mr Trump, a heavy critic of the Iranian regime, has pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" to weaken it. However, slashing funding for Persian-language media – one of the few sources of independent information for Iranians – appears to contradict this strategy, and could hand the Iranian regime an unexpected win.
"It has been a dream of the leaders in Iran to see Radio Farda gone," said Omid Memarian, an Iran expert at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on US policy in the Middle East. "I'm sure the propaganda machine in the Islamic Republic would never have thought this day could come."
Accessible and popular
Turning on Radio Farda is one of the first things that Mr Memarian, who lives in the US, does in the morning – as do his family and friends back in Iran, he said. "I wake up and see what's the reading of Radio Farda about what's happening in the US and Europe," he said.
Funded by the US Congress, Radio Farda – which in Persian means radio tomorrow – was launched in 2002 as part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has operated since the 1940s from Prague. It is overseen by the US Agency for Global Media, which had its funding cut on March 14 to "the minimum required by law" by Mr Trump, as part of efforts to curb government spending. Its budget is estimated at $142 million a year.
RFE/RL has sued the Trump administration to challenge the funding cut, but its chief executive, Stephen Capus, told NPR this week that it was now living off its savings. "We're going to have to take some pretty drastic actions in the not too distant future," he said.
The loss of high-quality independent media would be particularly harmful to the Iranian public, where trust in national media is low, analysis shows. The Dutch think tank Gamaan, which specialises in studying Iranians' social and political thinking, found in 2023 that only 20 per cent of Iranians use state television as a source of information, while around 40 per cent trust Radio Farda and Voice of America Persian. Iran International, Manoto and BBC Persian, which are all broadcast from outside Iran, are among the favourite media channels for the Iranian public.
Today, Radio Farda has 4.5 million followers on Instagram – social media is one of the Iranian public's favourite ways of accessing information, but it is heavily censored. This figure suggests deep penetration into Iran, said Mohammed Ghaedi, a lecturer at George Washington University's department of political science.
"The platform is highly active, boasting over 118,000 posts on Instagram and a strong presence on other platforms like Telegram," Mr Ghaedi said. "Its format provides an alternative for those unable to access satellite TV, such as BBC Persian, making it accessible to drivers and workers. In terms of content, Radio Farda focuses on democratic values, freedom and human rights, covering stories that state-controlled media ignore and giving a platform to individuals who might otherwise struggle to have their voices heard."
Radio Farda has been a particular target for the Iranian government. In 2008, an Iranian court sentenced one of its journalists, Parnaz Azima, for her "anti-revolutionary" work. At the time, she was told that her problems would be solved if she quit Radio Farda, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Radio Farda's managers said that Iran spent "millions of dollars annually" to jam the station's signals and disable its website, while also launching an intimidation campaign against its 40-person staff, the newspaper wrote. The National has reached out to RFE/RL for comment. Radio Farda journalists said they were not authorised to speak due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Lives at risk
Should they lose their jobs and their Czech work permits, many Iranian Radio Farda journalists may be at risk of persecution if they have to return to Iran, said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at Crisis group said. "This really puts the lives of some of these individuals at risk", Mr Vaez said. "If you were the Islamic Republic, you couldn't have dreamt of a situation in which the US would shoot itself in the foot by ... dismantling democracy-promoting institutions overnight."
Shutting Radio Farda down will not "leave Iranians in the dark all of a sudden", but its absence will make it harder for Iranians to access information about what is happening in the world, said Mr Vaez. "Radio Farda was particularly popular because it also had a major entertainment element attached to it," he said.
Gutting Radio Farda and its parent company, RFE/RL, is not a question of cost for the US, Mr Memarian argued. It's part of an ideological war against anything that is perceived as liberal and anti-Trump. "The truth is that weakening these publications is not a Democrat or a liberal agenda – it's a global agenda to fight authoritarian regimes," Mr Memarian said.
The bottom line is that the Trump administration may not care about fighting the Iranian regime with soft power. "We have not seen a deliberate plan to accompany maximum pressure, which is a coercive economic approach, with a soft approach as well" towards Tehran, Mr Vaez said. "Because there is no strategy, I would not be surprised if opportunism determines who gets funded in the future."
The setbacks to RFE/RL have caused concern in the Czech Republic. The country's Minister for European Affairs, Martin Dvorak, this week raised the issue in Brussels, where he gathered signatures from nine other EU countries in support of finding alternative funding. In a statement, they cited the station's role "in providing independent, unbiased and fact-based information to citizens, particularly in regions where freedom of the press is under threat."
But the bloc's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, appeared doubtful the EU could replace US funding. "We have a lot of organisations who are coming with the same request to us," she said on Monday. "This is the task [on] our side; to see what we can do."
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Ziyadd, Richard Mullen (jockey), Jean de Roualle (trainer).
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
Winner: Secret Advisor, Tadhg O’Shea, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Plata O Plomo, Carlos Lopez, Susanne Berneklint.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Saturday's results
Women's third round
- 14-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-2
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4. 6-0
- Coco Vandeweghe (USA) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-2, 6-4
- 9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 19-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6, 6-1
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-0
Men's third round
- 13-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1, 6-1 -- retired
- Sam Queery (United States) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
- 6-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat 25-Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
- 10-Alexander Zverev (Germany) beat Sebastian Ofner (Austria) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
- 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Adrian Mannarino (France) beat 15-Gael Monfils (France) 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
