Iran has significantly ramped up its social media operations, engaging in a full-blown information war orchestrated by the nation’s Islamic rulers. This aggressive digital campaign is a direct response to military actions by the United States and Israel.
Cybersecurity experts have observed Iranian foreign influence operations going into overdrive. This surge is part of an “asymmetric” strategy designed to complement its military retaliation and exert moral pressure on the US and Israel, aiming to curb their war efforts.
The strategy involves inundating platforms like X, Instagram, and Bluesky with precisely targeted content. The aim is to exploit the growing unpopularity of the conflict within the US, even reaching segments of Donald Trump’s support base. Previously, Iran focused on communications supporting causes such as Scottish independence and Irish unification. However, these efforts have been largely sidelined in favour of a singular, war-focused message. This new approach incorporates AI-generated videos and memes that mock both Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Some of the AI-generated footage has fabricated successful strikes on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, depicted bomb damage to buildings in Tel Aviv, and shown Israeli soldiers apparently in fear of Iranian retaliation.
The effectiveness of this Iranian campaign has been notable, even drawing complaints from Donald Trump. He accused Iran of utilising AI as a “disinformation weapon.”
This intensified digital onslaught has coincided with the Iranian regime imposing a near-total internet blackout within the country. Simultaneously, it has threatened severe penalties for anyone attempting to use satellite internet connections, such as Starlink.
Furthermore, reports indicate that government agents have attempted to intimidate Iranians living abroad. These individuals have allegedly received phone calls or online warnings threatening the revocation of their citizenship or harm to family members in Iran if they continue to post messages critical of the regime or supportive of the US-Israeli war effort.
Analysts believe this cyber offensive has become a crucial element of the regime’s survival strategy, alongside military actions against US and allied targets and the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Darren Linvill, co-director of Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub and an author of a study on Iran’s tactics, described the situation as “absolutely asymmetric warfare.”
He elaborated, “The use of artificial intelligence is impressive, and it’s at a rate that I don’t think anybody’s seen before to the same extent or in the same way. Iran is using every advantage they had. They had been preparing for this conflict for almost 50 years, and this was part of what they prepared for. They understand the media ecosystem.”
A study conducted by Clemson University revealed that Iranian social media efforts, which were previously focused on exploiting political divisions in the UK and US, were swiftly redirected following the commencement of American-Israeli military strikes on February 28th.
Superficially authentic troll accounts, which had exclusively focused on Scottish or Irish politics or criticised figures like Keir Starmer or the Royal family, began denouncing the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the lethal strike on a school in the Iranian city of Minab, which resulted in the deaths of up to 175 people, predominantly schoolgirls.
These troll accounts, along with US-based accounts with Latino identities that primarily posted against Trump’s anti-migration agenda, have since been suspended. They have been replaced by content disseminated by Iranian proxies and embassies. Experts suggest this content is sometimes so effective that it is re-posted multiple times, amplifying popular misgivings about an already deeply unpopular war.
“All their normal operations have been completely upended in order to focus on the war,” Linvill stated. “They are very focused on the existential threat that is the ongoing war with Israel and the United States.”
Strategic Shift in Content and Tactics
The shift in Iran’s online presence is marked by a dramatic reorientation of its digital assets. Previously, accounts operated by entities like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would masquerade as Scottish and Irish individuals, engaging in discussions about local politics. However, their focus has abruptly pivoted to exclusively promoting the war narrative and disseminating overt Iranian propaganda.
This sudden change in persona raises questions about authenticity. Linvill noted, “To use those same assets to suddenly talk about how the supreme leader is a martyr seems a little inauthentic from a voice that’s supposedly a 20-year-old girl in county Cork.”
A significant objective of this strategy appears to be capitalising on the growing discontent with the war among Donald Trump’s supporters, particularly those within the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.
Amplifying Opposition Voices
Iranian state media, such as Press TV, the English-language satellite channel, has actively promoted content that aligns with this objective. Within a single hour on a recent Thursday, Press TV posted four clips from Tucker Carlson’s interview with Joe Kent on its social media accounts. Kent, who recently resigned as the Trump administration’s counterterrorism adviser, has been a vocal critic of US foreign policy.
Alex Goldenberg, an expert in online threats and foreign influence campaigns, observed that Iranian propaganda operators would undoubtedly seize upon Kent’s assertions. These included his claims, made in his resignation letter and in the interview with Carlson, that Israel had led the US into the war.
“A core part of the Iranian information model is identifying fault lines in American political debate and amplifying them,” Goldenberg explained. “For years, that meant platforming fringe movements on the left with demonstrable sympathies toward adversarial regimes. What’s significant now is that Iranian state media has found new and growing supply of content on the right, where rhetoric questioning Israeli influence over American foreign policy is trafficking in overt antisemitism. Iran doesn’t need to create that content. It simply presents itself.”
This approach allows Iran to leverage existing divisions within American society, presenting narratives that resonate with certain segments of the population without necessarily originating the content itself. The strategy highlights a sophisticated understanding of how to exploit political and social fault lines for strategic advantage.
