Abdolali Ali-Asgari

Abdolali Ali-Asgari served as head of IRIB from 2016 to 2021, appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His tenure covered a period of major unrest including the December 2017–January 2018 economic protests and the November 2019 protests, during which at least 1,500 people were killed according to Reuters. During the November 2019 internet shutdown, IRIB was the sole source of broadcast news and aired exclusively the government's narrative, characterising protesters as rioters and foreign agents. He was replaced by Peyman Jebelli in 2021.