False-content cyber bill and government climbdown
Reports said Pezeshkian's government sent a fast-track bill against false online content to parliament; lawyers and reformist supporters called it a free-speech threat, and the cabinet withdrew it after the urgency vote.
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- False-content bill sent to Majlis; allies criticize president - BBC Persian and Iran International reported a 22-article bill against false online content, drafted with the judiciary and signed by Pezeshkian, went to parliament. Azar Mansouri and lawyer Kambiz Norouzi called it a free-speech threat akin to the Cyberspace Protection Plan. President takes fire as Iran fast-tracks cyber censorship bill
- Majlis fast-tracks bill with 205 votes - BBC Persian reported parliament approved double urgency 205-49-3. MP Farid Mousavi warned it could silence independent media. Radio Farda said critics labeled it a bill of suffocation; RFE/RL quoted scholars on a chilling effect. Iran Pushes Ahead With Fake News Bill That Critics Say Guts Free Speech
- Cabinet votes to withdraw cyberspace bill - BBC Persian, Radio Farda and Euronews reported spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said the cabinet approved withdrawing the bill to preserve national cohesion. Elias Hazrati said the government would not alarm the public; some allies still called the original submission a mistake. دولت ایران لایحه مقابله با انتشار محتوای خبری خلاف واقع در فضای مجازی را از مجلس پس گرفت