Iranian People Unite in Opposition to War Amid Propaganda Surge

In the shadow of Israel’s military actions against Iran, a complex information war is playing out across Persian-language media and social networks. This struggle for narrative control has created a deeply polarized environment that makes it increasingly difficult for Iranians to find common ground amid escalating tensions.

On one side, Persian media outlets aligned with Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince of Iran’s former royal family, present a narrative of imminent regime change. Pahlavi himself has issued rallying cries through social media, declaring: “The future is bright, and we will pass this sharp turn in history together. Now is the time to rise; it is time to take back Iran.”

The opposing side, controlled by Islamic Republic media, promotes triumphant imagery of Iranian missiles striking “Zionist cult strongholds” in what they describe as an inevitable Iranian victory against Israel.

This information battle has been intensifying for years, funded by various state actors and political groups. Israeli and pro-Israeli organizations have been particularly active in pushing their narratives directly to Iranian audiences through satellite television channels and social media platforms. These efforts have strategically co-opted the legitimate grievances expressed during Iran’s 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, reframing them to support Israel’s military actions.

Iran International, a Persian-language satellite network reportedly funded by Saudi interests but promoting pro-Israeli viewpoints, has been at the forefront of this media campaign. Working alongside U.S. and Israeli political figures and numerous social media influencers, they present the Israeli government as a liberator for Iranian women, while supporting the crown prince’s leadership ambitions.

The symbolism in Israel’s military operation is telling. Dubbed “Rising Lion,” it deliberately evokes a powerful Persian symbol that adorned Iran’s flag during the pre-revolution Pahlavi era. Social media is now flooded with memes showing lions draped in Israeli flags coming to Iran’s rescue, or lions representing Israel and pre-revolutionary Iran standing united.

These propaganda efforts have systematically targeted Western experts who offer nuanced reporting on Iran, many of whom are women. The messaging creates a stark binary: you either support regime change or you’re an apologist for the Islamic Republic. One such initiative, Iran Disinfo, received funding from the Trump administration’s State Department before being shut down in 2020 following revelations that it was using government funds to attack American journalists.

For Iranians within the country, this situation is further complicated by the Islamic Republic’s long-standing restrictions on free press. With limited access to reliable information domestically, many citizens turn to external sources, making them vulnerable to disinformation campaigns.

The Islamic Republic’s credibility has been deteriorating for decades. State television and radio have functioned as propaganda tools since 1979, frequently broadcasting fabricated narratives during moments of civil unrest like the 2009 Green Movement and the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. Some state TV reporters have even earned the notorious label of “interrogator-reporters” for their role in broadcasting forced confessions to support government narratives.

Yet as the reality of Israeli bombs falling on Iranian soil becomes impossible to ignore, cracks are appearing in these polarized narratives. Even prominent opposition figures like Masih Alinejad, known for her women’s rights advocacy and connections to Washington hawks, have begun to criticize Netanyahu’s approach. After initially reposting Israeli evacuation orders, Alinejad pivoted to publish a stern rebuke to the Israeli prime minister, warning: “Do not kill the people of Iran fighting for their freedom!”

Netanyahu himself seemed surprised by the lack of Iranian public support, making a direct appeal for Iranians to “stand up and make your voices heard” while awkwardly adopting the slogan “Woman, life, freedom” in both English and Persian. The response on Iranian social media was swift, with users sharing an image of a woman in Berlin holding a sign reading: “Don’t ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ us, you murderer!”

For many Iranians, the current situation presents an impossible dilemma. While some initially celebrated strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who had brutally suppressed the 2022 protests, the escalating bombardment of civilian infrastructure has shifted public sentiment. As one Tehran resident put it: “It’s hard to say whom we hate more right now, Khamenei or Netanyahu.”

Even as Iranians continue their decades-long struggle for democratic governance, they fear being robbed of self-determination by external forces. A powerful sentiment emerging across Iranian social media echoes the words of rapper Toomaj Salehi, whose music became a rallying cry during recent protests: “The enemy of my enemy is not my friend.”

Across political divides, a consensus appears to be forming among Iranians both inside and outside the country: “War is not the answer.”