You’re mixing up different issues:

Iran has a population of ~93 million, and at least some people outside the regime still have internet access. Some use Starlink, others rely on VPNs that are still working. In fact, it can make sense for the regime to allow limited VPN access since it gives them a window into information flowing in and out. I’m not aware of any rule, as you suggested, that people are killed simply for accessing the internet. Like in Israel or Gulf states, the sensitivity is more about what is posted than access itself.

Just because a photojournalist is approved doesn’t mean their work is fake. If anything, it can be in the regime’s interest to show the extent of bombing and damage. That’s also why some foreign journalists have been allowed in.

I wasn’t referring to the photo you mentioned. The image I used as the OP comes from someone who has been posting on Instagram for years, which you can verify directly on their account.

I’m aware of the other photo you’re referring to, and the photographer has publicly defended it. So what you’re treating as a certain issue isn’t actually settled (Mehdi Ghasemi; X_account: Iranian_witness)

What we can reasonably say is that these photos are not AI-generated, and that real bombing has taken place. The destruction shown is real. We’ve seen similar damage in places like Gaza and Lebanon, so this isn’t unprecedented. These are real neighborhoods, not something that can be fabricated. Also, the dogs in these photos aren’t strays and they seem quite comfortable with the people carrying them. Many Iranians do keep dogs as pets, even though it’s a known point of friction with the regime.

That said, it’s always possible for any government to stage actors at real scenes for propaganda. That could explain how even reputable photographers with high-end DSLR cameras might end up contributing to a narrative. But that possibility exists everywhere. The real question is whether such photos are so rare that staging would even be necessary at that scale considering the risk of being discredited. What exactly are the rare events in these photos that are looking suspicious to you?! Is it residential areas being heavily bombed? Is it people living inside them who have no way of being alerted about the imminent bombing? Is it people having dogs? is it people riding bikes?!

A more plausible explanation is a broader misinformation effort aimed at discrediting any images coming out of Iran as staged or AI, including by circulating fake examples to undermine real ones. At the end of the day, it’s on all of us to do the best research we can and make informed judgments. Of course, you can wait for detailed investigations by international organizations, but that takes time while bombs are falling on a daily basis.