Voice of America Rehires Persian-Language Staff After Iran Strike

Voice of America has rehired it’s Persian language staff following an escalating military conflict between Iran and Israel Thursday and Friday.

Following a sidelining from the Trump administration, employees who were put on administrative leave were informed by the US Agency for Global Media that they were to return to their roles providing counter-programming to Iranian state media.

“Effective immediately, you are recalled from administrative leave,” USAGM’s human resources department said in an email shared with Politico. “You are expected to report to your duty station immediately.”

According to The Washington Post, VOA’s Persian wing asked more than 50 people to return to work immediately after months of administrative leave.

“An admission by Trump administration of the network’s utility during crisis,” NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik said on X following the news.

The decision to bring back the Persian-language wing comes as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalated following missile strikes on Thursday and Friday night. Late Thursday, Israel launched missile strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and Friday Iran launched a retaliatory strike on Israel.

The service had been shut down as part of the Trump administration’s moves to cut all funding for U.S.-backed global media.

A federal judge blocked Trump’s attempts to cut VOA and other government-funded news services. Judge Royce Lamberth said the Trump Administration had “no method or approach” to shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the VOA’s parent agency; he ordered the USAGM to restore employment to hundreds of staffers who had been placed on leave and to continue operating as before.

“It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the Defendants’ actions here,” the judge said in April.

More to come…

The post Voice of America Rehires Persian-Language Staff After Iran Strike appeared first on TheWrap.