OAN Staff Sophia Flores
8:30 PM – Friday, June 13, 2025

Voice of America (VOA) has instructed 50 employees, who were previously placed on administrative leave by the Trump administration, to return to work immediately amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.

VOA’s Chief National Correspondent, Steve Herman, stated that the broadcaster brought back Farsi-speaking journalists who had been on paid administrative leave.

Prior to the cutbacks in March, VOA produced more than four-plus hours of “Persian-language programming to Iran” daily.

The content that was produced by VOA “confronts the disinformation and censorship efforts of the Iranian regime and enhances U.S. efforts to speak directly to the Iranian people and the global Persian-speaking diaspora.”

VOA is the official international broadcasting service of the United States government. The service provides news in more than 40 languages to audiences all around the world.

In Iran, VOA plays a particularly important role by delivering news and commentary that is often blocked or censored by the Iranian government.

In early May, Kari Lake, who now serves as the senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), announced that One America News will provide coverage for the VOA and other USAGM-affiliated outlets, including Radio Martí and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

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