Updated

Iran's parliament approved on Sunday the general principles of a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US and Israeli outlets and any media financed by either country, according to the Shargh newspaper. Osman Salari, a member of parliament's judicial and legal commission, said the bill's individual provisions still require further review before final passage. The legislation, framed by its backers as a measure to counter foreign influence, would expose Iranians who speak to such outlets to prison terms. It comes amid a broader crackdown on journalists inside Iran following the war with Israel and the United States, and would deepen existing restrictions on contact with foreign-based Persian-language broadcasters.