Journalist’s Devices Seized at U.S. Border Following Iran Reporting

On July 13, 2026, The Grayzone reported that their editor-in-chief Max Blumenthal was detained at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. upon return from  a reporting trip to Iran to cover the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Agents searched Blumenthal’s person and demanded his devices, and when Blumenthal refused to unlock his smart phones, CBP ordered him to hand them over for detention. According to the The Grayzone, this seizure of his devices followed a public campaign against him by pro-Israel influencers and groups, some of whom have been able to influence the Trump administration in the past.  Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons had this statement:

We condemn any detention or interrogation of journalists over their reporting at the U.S. border. Seizing and potentially searching a journalist’s electronic devices poses serious risk to press freedom. Journalists have not only a right, but a duty to report from countries under attack by the U.S. government and bring the U.S. people perspectives their government may not want them to hear. It is notable that while Max Blumenthal was not the only U.S. journalist in Iran to cover Khamenei’s funeral, he is reportedly the only one to face harassment on his way home. This indicates that Blumenthal was potentially singled out due to the content of his reporting, which has been highly critical of U.S. foreign policy, or due to an extended campaign against him led by pro-Israel McCarthyites. This is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest personal terms.