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Iran Targets Diaspora with Propaganda Campaign Amid Regional Conflict
Amid escalating tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, the Iranian regime has launched a coordinated propaganda campaign targeting its diaspora communities across Europe, according to geopolitical analyst Ashkan Rostami.
Rostami, an Italian-Persian analyst specializing in Middle Eastern affairs and a member of the Institute for a New Middle East, revealed that Iranian authorities have intensified outreach to citizens living abroad since the beginning of the current conflict. The campaign appears designed to counter criticism from diaspora Iranians who have become increasingly vocal about conditions inside Iran.
“After the war began, the Islamic regime absolutely began to do its propaganda outside Iran,” Rostami explained. He noted this strategy emerged partly because “they cut the internet and the people inside Iran can’t do anything,” while “the Iranian diaspora actually talked on behalf of the people inside Iran.”
According to Rostami, Iranian embassies across Europe have sent coordinated emails to citizens abroad with two distinct messages. The first invited recipients to “join this campaign of being beside the regime” and “fight for the regime against what they call the big and small Satan, so United States and Israel.” The second email solicited financial support for the Islamic Republic.
The fundraising effort included unusual payment channels, including what Rostami described as “a Red Cross account in Kenya,” which he called “really strange.” Recipients were also directed to send money through “the official bank account of the embassy in Italy” or deliver cash directly to diplomatic missions.
The campaign, reportedly titled “Sacrifice of Life,” echoes similar historical propaganda efforts. Rostami drew parallels to campaigns during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, particularly the infamous “keys to heaven campaign” where “they gave these fake keys to young Iranians to go to the war,” with promises that these keys would “open heaven if they were martyred.”
European governments have shown little public response to these Iranian outreach efforts. “No European countries, specifically Italy that I know of, they didn’t do anything against the campaign,” Rostami noted, suggesting economic interests may be influencing this restraint. “I think there are so many economic interests, especially in Europe,” he added, specifically mentioning that “the Spanish government actually take a position in favor of the Islamic regime,” along with Italy and the UK.
The propaganda campaign comes as Iran faces mounting economic pressure from international sanctions and blockades. Rostami estimates the regime is “losing $500 million a day because of the blockade,” creating an increasingly unsustainable situation. “Economically, they can’t control the country,” he said.
Internal fractures within Iran’s security apparatus may be emerging as well. Rostami pointed to troubling signs, including the regime’s use of “children, young children as forces to keep control posts” in Tehran and other cities, suggesting possible personnel shortages in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij forces.
Despite these pressures, Rostami cautions against expectations of immediate regime collapse. While some in the opposition believed that if attacked, the Islamic Republic “will fall in less than a month,” Rostami believes U.S. and Israeli strategists understand “that it could be a medium-long war.” He estimates the conflict could continue for “at least four or five months.”
The analyst describes a multi-dimensional conflict extending beyond military operations. “They began with the actual war using the military,” he said, “but we are now at a level of the economic war, and maybe political war, and in some ways, propaganda war.”
Uncertainty remains about the cohesion of Iran’s security forces. While noting “we don’t have the exact information if any IRGC forces actually defected,” Rostami highlighted potential leadership divisions, mentioning that Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf “wants to negotiate. At least it looks like this.”
As the conflict continues, Rostami sees the regime facing a stark choice: “Either the Islamic Republic will surrender, or in some ways, they will get obliterated, they will not exist anymore.”
For now, the propaganda campaign targeting diaspora Iranians represents just one element of the regime’s strategy to maintain control amid growing internal and external pressures in what has become not just a military conflict but a comprehensive struggle for survival.
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12 Comments
The Iranian regime’s propaganda campaign targeting its diaspora is a clear attempt to silence criticism and rally support from Iranians living abroad. Restricting internet access while coercing the diaspora is a concerning authoritarian move.
Agreed, this is a concerning abuse of power by the Iranian regime. Trying to control the narrative and suppress dissent both at home and abroad is a hallmark of repressive regimes.
The Iranian regime’s use of financial appeals and propaganda outreach to its diaspora communities is clearly an attempt to rally support and undermine criticism. It’s a concerning abuse of power by an authoritarian government.
Absolutely, the regime is trying to co-opt the Iranian diaspora for its own political ends. Using financial incentives and propaganda to silence dissenting voices is a hallmark of repressive regimes.
The Iranian regime’s propaganda campaign targeting its diaspora is a clear attempt to rally support and silence criticism from Iranians living abroad. Restricting internet access while coercing the diaspora is a concerning authoritarian move.
Absolutely, the regime is trying to control the narrative and undermine the ability of Iranians abroad to speak out against conditions inside the country. This is a disturbing abuse of power.
This propaganda targeting campaign by the Iranian regime targeting its diaspora is very concerning. Restricting internet access and silencing voices inside Iran while trying to sway those abroad is a worrying tactic.
You’re right, the regime seems desperate to control the narrative and counter criticism from Iranian citizens living abroad. Suppressing domestic dissent while trying to coerce the diaspora is a concerning authoritarian move.
This news highlights the Iranian regime’s desperation to maintain control over its citizens, even those living abroad. Cutting off internet access and bombarding the diaspora with propaganda is a worrying tactic.
You make a good point. The regime’s attempts to silence domestic dissent while co-opting the Iranian diaspora shows how threatened they are by criticism, both inside and outside the country.
This news highlights the lengths the Iranian regime will go to maintain control, even targeting its own citizens living abroad. Cutting off internet access while bombarding the diaspora with propaganda is a worrying tactic.
You’re right, the regime is clearly threatened by the ability of the Iranian diaspora to speak out against conditions inside the country. Resorting to these tactics shows how desperate they are to control the narrative.