Iran’s Hyrcanian Forests Burn for 21 Days as State TV Stays Silent

For three weeks, massive wildfires have devastated parts of Iran’s Hyrcanian forests in Mazandaran’s Elit region, one of the world’s oldest surviving ecosystems. Yet the country’s state broadcaster has remained conspicuously silent.

This silence stands in stark contrast to its extensive live coverage of California’s wildfires in recent years, during which Iranian state TV repeatedly mocked US authorities and framed the disaster as a symbol of Western decline. When the flames are foreign, the network seems eager to broadcast every moment. When the flames consume Iran’s own forests, the cameras switch off.

Media observers say the blackout reflects a broader pattern: negative events abroad are amplified, while domestic crises are minimized or erased to avoid acknowledging failures in environmental management and emergency response. As a result, real-time information on the Hyrcanian fires has largely come from local residents, environmental activists and independent journalists.

The continued destruction of these UNESCO-listed forests is a national tragedy. The absence of public coverage not only undermines transparency but also erodes trust in official institutions. At a time when ecological disasters are escalating across Iran, the silence of its national broadcaster raises a troubling question: who benefits when the public is left in the dark?

🌍 Journalist | Environmental Journalists Association
Environment is life’s deepest concern
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