Iranian Disinformation Campaigns Continue to Target Protest Movements

Iran Intensifies Media Manipulation as Crackdown on Journalists Continues

Tehran has escalated its information control tactics this week by formally charging two detained journalists with collaborating with the CIA. Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, currently held in Evin prison, were accused by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of “laying the groundwork for the intensification of external pressures” through their reporting.

The charges represent the latest chapter in the Islamic Republic’s decades-long strategy of manipulating media narratives to suppress dissent, particularly during the current wave of nationwide protests triggered by the death of Jina “Mahsa” Amini in September.

Iranian authorities have consistently portrayed the ongoing demonstrations as foreign-orchestrated separatist movements, especially in regions populated by ethnic minorities such as Kurdistan, Khuzestan, and Baluchistan. This characterization serves a dual purpose: discrediting protestors while justifying brutal crackdowns by security forces.

“The regime’s strategy is to destroy any manifestations of unity or solidarity among protestors,” noted a regional security analyst who requested anonymity for safety concerns. “By labeling demonstrations as separatist activities, Tehran hopes to sway public opinion in central, predominantly Persian regions with arguments that Iran’s territorial integrity is at risk.”

Iran’s media manipulation tactics date back to the 1979 revolution, with state institutions like the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) enjoying a virtual monopoly over information dissemination. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Iran ranks among the world’s ten worst countries for press freedom.

The digital age has only expanded the regime’s disinformation toolkit. Iranian officials have openly acknowledged creating thousands of fake websites and social media accounts to spread government-approved narratives both domestically and internationally. Ruhollah Momen Nasab, former head of the Digital Media Centre within Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, has described the country’s online influence operations as elements of “psychological warfare.”

A report from the International Federation for Human Rights details how IRIB collaborates with intelligence agencies and the IRGC to broadcast allegedly coerced confessions, with at least 355 such cases documented. These broadcasts serve to intimidate critics and reinforce official narratives.

Ethnic and religious minorities bear the brunt of state-sponsored disinformation. In August, four suspected members of Komala, a leftist Kurdish political party, were labeled as “Israel-affiliated terrorists” with little supporting evidence. Such characterizations reinforce negative stereotypes about minority communities and frame their calls for equality as security threats.

“The regime’s targeting strategy has institutionalized chronic racism in the public sphere and fostered phobia toward the democratic demands of non-Persian, non-Shia religious and ethnic groups,” explained a human rights researcher specializing in Iran’s minority communities.

As protests have intensified, so has the government’s information warfare. Social media has been flooded with fabricated videos purportedly showing Kurdish armed groups among protestors. Some footage appears to show Iranian security forces disguised as Kurdish Peshmerga fighters harassing locals in Kurdish cities to discredit the protest movement.

The government has simultaneously imposed widespread internet restrictions, making it increasingly difficult for protestors to coordinate activities or share information about the security forces’ actions. These digital blackouts, combined with the detention of journalists like Hamedi and Mohammadi, have created an information vacuum that regime-controlled media eagerly fills with its preferred narratives.

Despite these challenges, the protests sparked by Amini’s death have generated unprecedented solidarity across Iran’s diverse communities. Whether this unity can withstand the regime’s intensifying disinformation campaign remains to be seen.

As one Iranian activist recently noted on condition of anonymity, “The regime’s strategy is clear: divide the population along ethnic and regional lines while suppressing any real information. Our challenge is to maintain solidarity despite these tactics.”