VOA Persian became the primary destination for information about U.S. Presidential remarks, Congressional hearings, and foreign policy debates by providing simultaneous translation and live broadcasts of significant events throughout the year.  As the go-to source for access to U.S. officials’ speeches, news conferences, and other American perspectives, VOA attracted unprecedented levels of engagement with Iranians.

Starting with President Trump’s inauguration, VOA produced over 60 live, breaking news, and long-format broadcasts.  Simultaneous translation in Farsi was provided on the service’s 24/7 satellite tv channel and on digital platforms. Full video and excerpts from President Trump’s address on Iran Strategy were viewed more than 1.2 million times on social media platforms alone.

Video from a National Security Summit with remarks by CIA Director Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, were viewed 680,000 times on social media. National Security Summit – Persian  Live coverage of a 4-hour conference on Countering Violent Extremism also featured simultaneous translation of full remarks.  Among the speakers were Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), former Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon, former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta and former CIA Director General David Petraeus. Video from this conference was viewed more than 250,000 times on social platforms.

The service created a special web page with information about the Iranian regime that is strictly off-limits in Iran.  The service translated documents and video excerpts related to Congressional efforts to pass the “Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act.”  This legislation aimed to expose secret assets accumulated by the top 20 figures in the Iranian regime including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.