Source Directory
61 web sources · 83 Telegram channels · 13 ecosystems
This observatory monitors the information environment around the Iran crisis through a deliberately non-Western, non-English-weighted corpus. The intake is designed to capture how the conflict is understood, framed, and amplified across distinct media ecosystems — from Russian milblogs and Chinese state media to Iranian domestic outlets, Gulf press, and resistance-axis channels. The corpus skews toward state-affiliated and ideologically positioned sources by design: these are the outlets that shape narrative in their regions. Western wire services are included as a baseline, not as ground truth.
Chinese
8 web · 3 TGState wire, official media, policy commentary, and CCP-aligned nationalist outlets. Beijing's framing of events and diplomatic positioning.
- Guancha (观察者网) Chinese nationalist news/commentary. Domestic framing bellwether.
- Global Times English CCP-affiliated tabloid English site. Key editorial signals.
- Caixin Global More independent Chinese financial/analytical outlet.
- CGTN English Chinese state broadcaster international arm.
- China MFA (fmprc.gov.cn) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson remarks. Official position.
- Xinhua English China official wire service. Key for Beijing's framing of events.
- China Daily CCP English-language daily. Commentary signals official editorial line.
- People's Daily English CCP official newspaper English edition. Commentary and editorial pieces.
- @XHNews Xinhua
- @globaltimesnews Global Times (EN)
- @CGTNOfficial_BJ CGTN
Russian
3 web · 23 TGState media, military bloggers, official channels, and political commentators. ~65% of Telegram volume. The largest single ecosystem in our corpus.
- TASS English Russian state wire — English web version.
- Russian MFA (mid.ru) Russian Foreign Ministry official statements. MFA full text.
- Pravda EN Russian state-adjacent outlet in English.
- @tass_agency TASS (main)
- @tass_world TASS World
- @rian_ru RIA Novosti
- @rt_russian RT (Russian)
- @rtnews RT English
- @MariaVladimirovnaZakharova MFA Zakharova
- @mid_russia MID Russia
- @medvedev_telegram Dmitry Medvedev
- @rybar Rybar
- @rybar_mena Rybar MENA
- @milinfolive Military Informant
- @boris_rozhin Colonelcassad
- @readovkanews Readovka
- @wargonzo WarGonzo
- @bomber_fighter Fighterbomber
- @dva_majors Two Majors
- @zhivoff Alexey Zhivov
- @kvmalofeev Konstantin Malofeev
- @SolovievLive Vladimir Solovyov
- @margaritasimonyan Margarita Simonyan
- @barantchik Yuri Baranchik
- @Dugin_Aleksandr Alexander Dugin
- @Abbasdjuma Abbas Juma
Iranian
3 web · 9 TGState broadcasters, foreign ministry, Western-Farsi services. Official Tehran line and domestic political dynamics.
- Press TV Iranian English-language state broadcaster website.
- Tehran Times Iranian English-language daily.
- Iran MFA Iranian Foreign Ministry — official statements.
- @FarsNA Fars News Agency
- @Tasnimnews Tasnim News Agency
- @irna_1313 IRNA
- @presstv Press TV
- @tehrantimes Tehran Times
- @isna94 ISNA
- @mehrnews Mehr News Agency
- @RadioFarda Radio Farda (RFE/RL Farsi)
- @bbcpersian BBC Persian
Israeli
4 web · 3 TGBroadsheets, OSINT channels, military commentary. The broadest ideological spectrum of any single-country ecosystem in the corpus.
- Haaretz English Liberal Israeli broadsheet. Most analytical Israeli paper, critical of government.
- Jerusalem Post Center-right Israeli paper. Strong military/intelligence sourcing.
- Ynetnews English edition of Ynet, Israel's most-read news site.
- Times of Israel Centrist Israeli outlet. Complements existing Telegram channel.
- @IsraelRadar Israel Radar
- @timesofisrael Times of Israel
- @abualiexpress Abu Ali Express
Arab & Gulf
4 web · 10 TGAl Jazeera, Al Arabiya, resistance-axis media, Gulf state outlets and official agencies. Multiple competing narratives within the same linguistic ecosystem.
- Al Jazeera Arabic Al Jazeera Arabic homepage. Largest Arab news audience.
- Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English news section.
- Al Mayadeen Pro-resistance axis Lebanese outlet. Hezbollah/Iran narrative.
- Al Arabiya English Saudi-backed. Gulf perspective counter to Al Jazeera.
- @ajanews Al Jazeera Arabic
- @AJEnglish Al Jazeera English
- @almayadeen Al Mayadeen News
- @almanarnews Al Manar (Hezbollah TV)
- @AlHadath Al Hadath (Saudi)
- @Alarabiya Al Arabiya (Saudi)
- @skynewsarabia Sky News Arabia (UAE)
- @wamnews_en WAM (Emirates News)
- @QatarNewsAgency QNA (Qatar News)
- @BahrainNA BNA (Bahrain News)
Turkish
3 web · 2 TGState and semi-official media. Ankara's positioning as regional power and NATO member with its own Iran calculus.
- Anadolu Agency English Turkey's semi-official wire — Middle East section.
- TRT World Turkish state broadcaster English — ME section.
- Daily Sabah Pro-government Turkish English daily. Erdogan framing.
- @anadoluajansi Anadolu Agency (TR)
- @trtworld TRT World
Resistance Axis
2 web · 3 TGHezbollah, Houthi/Ansar Allah, and Iraqi militia media. Direct combatant messaging.
- Al Masirah English (Houthi) Houthi/Ansar Allah official media. Telegram channel broken, web fallback.
- Al Manar English (Hezbollah) Hezbollah's official media arm. Telegram channel broken, web fallback.
- @Almasirah_En Al Masirah (Houthi TV, EN)
- @MilitaryMediaY Houthi Military Media
- @sabereen_news Sabereen News
South & Southeast Asia
8 web · 10 TGPakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. Large Muslim populations, Shia minorities, and complex relationships with both the US and Iran.
- Dawn (Pakistan) Pakistan's leading English daily. Iran neighbor, Balochistan border.
- The Hindu (India) Indian paper of record. Watch for Modi govt positioning.
- The Wire India Indian independent outlet. Critical of Modi. Will contrast Knesset speech timing.
- Jakarta Post (Indonesia) Indonesia's English-language daily. Largest Muslim country.
- Malay Mail (Malaysia) Malaysian English outlet. Malaysia is vocally pro-Palestinian.
- Geo News English (Pakistan) Pakistan's largest news network. Karachi protests, Shia street, Balochistan border.
- The News International (Pakistan) Jang Group's English daily. Pakistan's Shia minority protests, security response.
- Kashmir Observer Kashmir's largest English daily. Shia protests, police response, Muharram-adjacent mobilization.
- @geonews Geo News (Pakistan)
- @DunyaNews Dunya News (Pakistan)
- @arynews ARY News (Pakistan)
- @kompascom Kompas (Indonesia)
- @tempodotcoupdate Tempo (Indonesia)
- @MalaysiaKini Malaysiakini
- @cnalatest CNA (Singapore)
- @benarnews BenarNews (RFA SE Asia)
- @ndtv NDTV (India)
- @AdaDeranaNews Ada Derana (Sri Lanka)
Iraq & Lebanon
4 webIraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad, Lebanese multi-confessional media. Front-line states with direct stakes in the conflict's escalation trajectory.
- Rudaw English (Iraqi Kurdistan) Kurdish-Iraqi outlet. Erbil airbase strikes, KRG perspective, Shia militia activity.
- Iraq News Agency (INA) Iraqi state news agency. Baghdad official position, Green Zone security.
- Naharnet (Lebanon) Lebanese English portal. Multi-confessional perspective, Hezbollah war entry.
- L'Orient Today (Lebanon) English edition of L'Orient-Le Jour. Francophone Lebanese perspective.
Africa
7 web · 3 TGSouth Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, pan-African outlets. BRICS framing, Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Zakzaky), Suez Canal, AU statements.
- Daily Maverick (South Africa) SA investigative outlet. SA will condemn strongly (ICJ precedent).
- Al-Ahram (Egypt) Egypt's paper of record. Suez Canal, Israel peace treaty, public opinion.
- SABC News (South Africa) SA public broadcaster. Government-aligned BRICS framing, ANC positioning, Ramaphosa statements.
- The Africa Report Pan-African analytical. Iran-Africa footprint, Zakzaky/IMN, Sahel, Algeria-Iran axis.
- North Africa Post Maghreb coverage. Algeria-Iran alliance, Morocco Gulf alignment, North Africa positioning. Pro-Morocco lean.
- Africanews Pan-African wire (Euronews group). AU statements, African government reactions, continental perspective.
- Premium Times (Nigeria) Leading Nigerian investigative outlet. Islamic Movement of Nigeria (Zakzaky Shia), protests.
- @africanews Africanews
- @shorouknews Al Shorouk (Egypt)
- @PunchNewspaper Punch (Nigeria)
Caucasus & Central Asia
6 web · 4 TGAzerbaijan (Shia majority), Georgia, Tajikistan (Farsi-speaking), and pan-Caucasus independent journalism. Energy corridors and border dynamics.
- Asia-Plus (Tajikistan) Tajikistan independent. Farsi-speaking, cultural ties to Iran.
- JAMnews (South Caucasus) Independent South Caucasus outlet. Azerbaijan Shia majority, Iran border, Baku positioning.
- AzerNews Azerbaijan state-aligned. Shia majority angle, BTC pipeline, Nakhchivan border, Baku official framing.
- OC Media (Caucasus) Independent pan-Caucasus journalism. Dagestan Shia dimension, Armenia-Iran ties, North Caucasus coverage.
- Trend News Agency (Azerbaijan) Baku wire service. High-volume Iran beat, Caspian energy, Azerbaijan-Iran dynamics.
- Civil.ge (Georgia) Georgian politics and foreign policy. Transit corridor, Western alignment, Caucasus realignment signals.
- @tengrinews Tengrinews (Kazakhstan)
- @kun_uz Kun.uz (Uzbekistan)
- @asiaplus Asia-Plus (Tajikistan)
- @turkmenportal Turkmenportal
US & Western
7 web · 1 TGOfficial statements (CENTCOM, State Department), hawkish policy journals, and wire services. We don't monitor Western mass media directly — we see it only as reflected and reframed by other ecosystems.
- Reuters World Reuters world section. Factual baseline.
- CENTCOM US Central Command official statements. Direct source for strike claims.
- US State Department Official US diplomatic statements. Counterpart to Russian/Iranian MFA feeds.
- National Interest Realist/hawkish US foreign policy journal. Kissinger school, strong Iran/ME coverage.
- Washington Free Beacon Neocon editorial line. Aggressively pro-strike, hawkish national security framing.
- Long War Journal FDD's military analysis arm. Operational detail, IRGC/militia tracking.
- BBC News Middle East BBC World Service ME section. Center-establishment baseline, complements BBCPersian TG channel.
- @bbcarabic BBC Arabic
Other
2 web · 12 TGBahrain opposition, Kashmir, OSINT aggregators, Latin America, Palestinian media, and other specialized sources.
- UN News UN News. Watch for UNSC emergency session, Secretary-General statement.
- Bahrain Mirror Bahraini opposition outlet. Shia majority perspective, protests, crackdowns.
- @intelslava Intel Slava Z
- @osintdefender OSINTdefender
- @IntelCrab The Intel Crab
- @AuroraIntel Aurora Intel
- @FotrosResistancee Fotros Resistance
- @Middle_East_Spectator Middle East Spectator
- @ELINTNews ELINT News
- @CalibreObscura Calibre Obscura
- @CIG_telegram Counter Intelligence Global
- @qudsnen Quds News Network
- @teleSUR_tv teleSUR (Venezuela)
- @cubadebate Cubadebate
Relevance Filtering
Not every article from these sources enters the analytical pipeline. A keyword-based relevance filter screens incoming content for connection to the Iran crisis, including military operations, diplomatic signals, energy markets, Shia solidarity movements, and information-environment dynamics. The filter is deliberately permissive — borderline content is included rather than excluded.
Telegram channels are ingested in full without filtering. Volume patterns and silence are themselves signals: what a channel chooses not to cover can be as revealing as what it amplifies.