Ideological and legal foundations of translation censorship in Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran exercises one of the world’s most pervasive censorship systems. This system extends far beyond political concerns to include religious, social, and ethical considerations as well. Unsurprisingly, translations as cultural products are not immune from the influence of state censorship. The main objective of the current paper is to reveal the ideological foundations underpinning the censorship system in Iran, with an emphasis on censorship in translated literature. To this end, the justifications made by Iranian high-level decision-makers for censorship are critically analyzed so that readers may have a better understanding of the motives, rationales, and worldviews of perpetrators of censorship in the Islamic Republic. This article also offers supplementary information on the legal foundations and mechanism of implementation of censorship in this country.