In a rare interview from inside Iran and behind its internet blackout, Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery tells me U.S. and Israeli attacks have collapsed homes and killed civilians - and describes their calls for the Iranian people to take down the regime “completely nonsense.” Yes, she says, many people... still support the war.show more

Iraninans want the war against the Islamic Republic terrorists to continue until they can finish the job. 1. Although kept minimum thanks to precision targeting, the destruction of homes and the civilian death toll is a byproduct of the Islamic Republic terrorists hiding in-between and under civilian homes and infrastructure. 2. There have not been any "calls for ppl to take down the regime" yet. The message has been consistent from the start of the war: "Stay in your homes, bombs are falling". #PahlaviWillReturn #ThankYouTrump #ThankYouBiBi

@yaldamoayeri Iranian here: She is not a regular person. She is a known regime’s propagandist. Shame on you for platforming this.

@arash_tehran @yaldamoayeri Stop platforming evil Mullah terrorist regime propaganda puppets while the people of Iran do not have internet!

@arash_tehran @yaldamoayeri She’s a photojournalist who’s been detained by this regime

This is a half truth. Any person in Iran that has access to internet, especially to chat with @CNN has been approved by the evil Mullah terrorist regime and will only provide outputs that prop them up. I have family in Iran, they cannot believe what US media outlets are doing while the people of Iran suffer without internet for over a month. Please stop.

@yaldamoayeri This is fabricated propaganda

@sharon_nazarian @yaldamoayeri Every 5 year old knows that even the most basic phone calls are being monitored by the paranoid Islamic regime, let alone a staged TV interview 🙄 you’re not fooling anyone Jim fake news Sciutto #DigitalBlackOutIran‌

@BahmanKalbasi @yaldamoayeri 90 million ordinary Iranians do not have Internet right now, but they have provided access to their mouthpieces for propaganda purposes.

@yaldamoayeri No one is calling for the Iranian people to rise up right now - why would you say such a thing? It would be suicide at this moment. They are an unarmed populace.

@yaldamoayeri President Trump and Israeli officials have repeatedly said just that

@yaldamoayeri Come on Jim. You're more of a straight shooter than that. You know they have said stay inside right now.

Hey Jim, most of us haven’t been able to talk to our families in days, due to poor connection. There is minimal internet connectivity. Just curious how your guest is able to FaceTime or video call when virtually no ordinary citizen has access to broadband 🤷🏻‍♂️

It took many days and many broken connections. She documented the bloody crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview so your implied accusation does not match the facts.

@MSharifpourMD absolutely zero chance her interview was not approved by the regime. Your fact checking mechanisms are barely functional for the US and 100% dysfunctional when it comes to the Iranian Regime

She is also the same person that said absolutely there is no going back to Pahlavi or anyone else and 20 days later tweeted oh sorry, Pahlavi is the only name that I heard on the streets. Also, the same person who took a picture of a protestor that was covering her eyes because of “tear gas” and then claimed it wasn’t tear gas and was from the fire crew putting out the fire. Not a single civilian that I know has been able to hold a video call with Iran in at least 3 weeks now.

once again you report on one side - you do not care that Israelis were out of their homes for 2 yrs you do not care about the children killed on the soccer filed you do not care that hezbollah was supposed to be disarmed a yr ago you do not care the world spent $24B on UNIFIL SHAME ON YOU you actisemite

@yaldamoayeri Did you not see my story from northern Israel yesterday?

@yaldamoayeri Jim, why do you lie about Iranians not rising up? HIM Reza Shah II Pahlavi has asked Iranians to shelter inside until the next call. US & Israeli leaders have said the same thing. 🫡🟢⚪🔴 @PahlaviReza @NoorPahlavi Long live Iran Javid Shah 👑🦁🌞

@yaldamoayeri Where does the CNN find these people?

@yaldamoayeri What a piece of pro-regime propaganda. What a blood washing. What an IRGC-backed story! Only pro-regime propagandists have such access to the internet.

If you really want to hear from real Iranians, listen to this Jim, that's the voice of those who are silenced inside Iran.

@yaldamoayeri You're literally a regime propaganda outlet. 🤡

Stop bringing regime mouthpieces onto CNN! While almost no one inside the country has access to the internet, you somehow manage to find someone backing the regime, while the actual people are saying this war is bad, but this regime staying in power is the worst, and that this war, followed by people taking to the streets, is the only remaining path. No one has forgotten how this regime massacred 36,500+ people around two months ago in January. And not one of you could find your voice to say a thing then.

@yaldamoayeri She documented the bloody regime crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview with me. Your accusation does not match the facts.

It is because she supports the reformists. During the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, the reformists decided to join because it would give them leverage over the IRGC thugs who control the country. The current president, Pezeshkian, clung to that movement during his presidential campaign, and everyone knew he was lying. Now, during his presidency, this biggest massacre has taken place, and he was among those who ordered it. I know, it is mind-blowing how they hijacked the name and brand of a movement, but the truth is that they are now using it against the national revolution. We Iranians are mind-blown that this revolution has brought out their true colors, but it is what it is. These people never had a problem with the core of the regime. They just wanted a different group of people to take hold of it, as opposed to 90 percent of Iranians who want this regime totally gone. Another very quick tip for you: anyone who has the internet access to talk with you on your show while almost everyone else is cut off, and is safe doing so in the sense that they will not be arrested afterwards, is a regime asset, and it is propaganda. Ordinary people are being arrested just for filming the smoke after bombings from their balconies, after the regime locates their homes through those videos. Do your homework. The best-case scenario here is that you are unbelievably gullible, and journalists are not supposed to be that gullible, because that is how they turn into platforms for propaganda. And that is the best-case scenario, assuming you were ignorant of everything I just explained.

@yaldamoayeri Only regime propaganda agents have access to the Internet these days. You know it well, but it does not stop you from giving them a platform to spew their nonsense. Eternal shame on you!

@yaldamoayeri She documented the bloody crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview with me. Your accusation does not match the facts.

I have not been able to contact my family for 11 days now; they cannot call me, and I cannot call them. A normal phone call is not possible; forget about the internet. And you are telling me somebody who can do a video call is not a regime agent? And all Iranians know that if she were not, she would have been arrested already. And about her main message, one of the Major Mullahs, Javadi Amoli, was literally crying on camera yesterday, asking for their supporters for help. They are afraid, and they are destroyed. And they are gone in a matter of weeks, if not days. And no matter what the likes of you do to help them, you will fail. And soon, all that is left is eternal shame for the likes of you, who helped the vilest monsters Iran has seen in its long history. Shame!

@yaldamoayeri Did you ask her how she was able to access the internet, like other regime members? While my family in Iran has had no access for 33 days and I haven’t been able to reach them, regime apologists are freely spreading propaganda on CNN.

@yaldamoayeri She documented the bloody crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview with me. Your accusation does not match the facts.

@brianstelter @yaldamoayeri Pretty incredible interview, and incredibly brave of her to publicly support the fall of the regime while living in Iran.

@brianstelter @yaldamoayeri Absolutely

That so-called photojournalist has always been a mouthpiece of the Islamic Republic and an avid sympathiser of their crimes against humanity! A fake opposition who has access to “White SIM card” by the Islamic government & IRGC to spread their filthy anti-war propaganda! #KingRezaPahlavi‌ForIran

@yaldamoayeri She documented the bloody crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview with me. Your accusation does not match the facts.

You need to scratch beneath the surface to understand the true face of Reformists in the Islamic Republic. The biggest question is how she has access to “White SIM card” inside Iran- SIM cards which are directly given by the regime to a circle of whitewashers & apologists- while the whole country has been in total Internet blackout for more than 30 days! I acknowledge the fact that it’s extremely difficult for non-Iranians to recognise Fake Oppositions but it’s definitely worth a double check!

Even under normal circumstances when 99% of Iranians are not disconnected from the internet. If Islamic Republic allows you to speak to foreign media, it means they approve of what you’re saying. You’re driving their narrative. Viewers have to remember dissidents in Iran get murdered by the regime for far more innocuous reasons.

You’d have to be stupid to think someone who interviews with foreign channels like CNN can do it without the regime’s permission and face no consequences. In Iran, even having access to the internet can be treated as a crime. People can be accused of being spies, arrested, jailed, and even tortured for far less. Meanwhile, certain individuals are given special access through so-called “white SIM cards,” which allow them to bypass censorship and operate freely— to push the regime’s message. So , maybe stop being stupid and understand how controlled the system really is.

@yaldamoayeri She documented the bloody regime crackdown on protesters in January in pictures and in a previous interview with me. Your accusation does not match the facts.

And I’ll say it again: You’d have to be naive to believe someone can do a live CNN interview from inside Iran during a total internet blackout and wartime crackdown without the regime’s permission. Yalda calling U.S. or Israeli support for regime change “completely nonsense” is straight out of the regime’s playbook. Iranians are exhausted, oppressed, and silenced — the reality is that many want this regime gone. Look at what happened to Elahe Mohammadi. She simply reported on Mahsa Amini’s funeral and got 12 years in prison. That’s the cost of real journalism in Iran. So why wasn’t Yalda arrested for speaking to foreign media during a crackdown on exactly that? Documenting repression doesn’t automatically mean independence — it can also be controlled and shaped by the regime. Reports (including from Iran International) show people being arrested, tortured, and jailed just for filming attacks or sharing information with foreign media. Yet somehow, she delivers clear video to CNN with no consequences? That’s not normal access — that’s selective access. Add to that her connections — including ties through her ex-husband to regime circles — and her past public statements, and it raises even more questions. In Iran, even having open internet access can get you accused of spying. This kind of interview isn’t rare or spontaneous — it’s permitted when it serves the regime’s narrative. Skepticism isn’t ignorance. It’s how you recognize what’s really going on.

@yaldamoayeri Lol. Iranians don't have internet guy.

@yaldamoayeri You either have to be an idiot for falling for this propaganda or assume that your viewers are. Iranians inside n out are overwhelmingly supportive of the war and want to so it through until the a complete collapse of the Islamic Regime!

@yaldamoayeri Aw yes, this “photojournalist” miraculously got internet access when anyone who is not affiliated with the regime remains in a blackout. And not only that but she willingly showed her face. Phuck CNN and @jimsciutto You do the bidding of mass murdering terrorists.

I had a local reporter in Boston asking me to connect him with someone inside Iran for an interview. I asked more than ten people for the interview and all of them declined, even with a promise of being anonymous no one accepted. They were scared for their lives. This was a local news channel and people still didn’t want to talk anonymously. Then internet shutdown continued and we are effectively disconnected from Inside Iran. The only ways to have internet is having government funded white SIM cards or starlink. Starlink is illegal in Iran and you go to prison for it unless you’re connected to the government. So the only way this woman could talk from inside Iran to CNN is that she has direct instructions from IRGC to do so and she must be saying the Islamic Republic talking points.

@yaldamoayeri And you think she will give you honest answers? The government allows her to have an interview with you for a reason

@yaldamoayeri ask her how she miracolously got internet to talk to you, you guys are fucking idiots for pretending you are journalists!

@yaldamoayeri @CNN you lying cunts!!!! \ That IRGC biatch is in GERMANY

The regime has arrested and sentenced people to long prison times and even execution just for owning Starlink and connecting to the outside world during the now 34 day #DigitalBlackOutIran‌ so the fact that she can effortlessly connect to internet and show up with her real credentials on CNN shows her message has been greenlit by the regime, and hence is of now intrinsic value!

@yaldamoayeri CNN is doing its thing again, as usual. The internet is shut down for the Iranian people, and the regime only allows access to those who repeat its talking points. Anyone telling the truth risks execution, yet CNN continues to spread IR propaganda.

Wrap up your nonsense and propaganda! The internet in Iran is completely shut down! You brought a regime stooge on TV—with the permission of the Islamic terrorist regime—to say that people are being killed! Those were the same people—50,000 of them—who were massacred in the streets over just a few days a few months ago. Have some shame! Do you think people are stupid?

@yaldamoayeri I trust .@cnn less and less. Am suspicious of who they some find for their “rare interviews” and how they always seem to favor the regime.

@yaldamoayeri Who is doing that?? No one! Yalda is hallucinating!

The people have been told by the USA and Israel to stay put in their homes for now until they can safely come out, and that announcement will come when the time is right via Iran International satellite tv, Reza Pahlavi comms, and other channels. This is why. Your question to Yalda about why people aren’t coming out now to protest reveals you don’t have your eye on the Persian language media and I guess she doesn’t either. But she is right that many people are still supporting the war in hopes of regime change. She is quite brave to say that from inside and I hope she isn’t arrested.

@yaldamoayeri Shame on you, platforming this propaganda is absolutely pathetic.