Iran’s Propaganda Machine: An Inside Look

As Iran’s public perception campaign intensifies alongside the military conflict, experts warn that Tehran is waging a sophisticated information war targeting diverse global audiences through contradictory narratives of both strength and victimhood.

According to a new report from the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Reichman University, Iran has significantly escalated its psychological warfare operations since the start of Operation Iron Swords, particularly in relation to the recent Operation Rising Lion confrontation with Israel.

“In recent years, and especially since the Iron Swords war, we have seen growing use of psychological warfare and influence strategies by terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and also by Iran, which is leading the resistance axis strategy not only on the military battlefield but also in the cognitive front,” explained Danielle Haberfeld, a senior researcher who co-authored the report with Dr. Eitan Azani, the institute’s acting director general.

Their analysis reveals how Iran is simultaneously promoting two seemingly contradictory narratives. “Iran is playing on two fields at the same time,” Haberfeld noted. “On one hand, it projects a narrative of victory in order to deter and display power, and on the other it presents itself as the victim of what it calls ‘disproportionate attacks’ by the US and Israel, in order to gain international legitimacy and apply political pressure to stop the war.”

For international audiences, Iran claims it did not initiate hostilities and is merely responding to Israeli-American aggression against civilian infrastructure. This messaging directly contradicts reality, as Iranian strikes have targeted hospitals, residential buildings, and public institutions in Israel.

The researchers point out that this dual messaging strategy is deeply rooted in Shiite religious consciousness. “The Battle of Karbala and the death of Imam Hussein became symbols of sacrifice and struggle in Shiite consciousness. Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, there has been an effort to turn that narrative into one of active resistance,” they explain. This cultural foundation helps Iran maintain seemingly contradictory positions of victory and victimhood simultaneously.

Recent Iranian propaganda has labeled attacks on its oil facilities as “deliberate chemical warfare,” while regime-affiliated social media accounts have circulated visuals reminiscent of Hamas’ media tactics during the Gaza conflict—exploiting graphic imagery to influence global opinion.

The report documents how Iranian operatives have repurposed authentic footage from Israel, applying simple editing techniques to alter the narrative. In some cases, they have muted original audio from videos of impact sites in Israel and inserted fabricated Hebrew voices of civilians supposedly pleading with Iran to stop attacks. Similar tactics have been employed against U.S. allies, with Iran spreading numerous false reports about missile strikes against American forces, including fake footage of captured soldiers.

“These are recordings that sometimes have no basis in reality, and often they are created using artificial intelligence,” the researchers note. “Its use gives the Iranians a significant advantage in the battle for public perception, allowing them to quickly and easily generate large quantities of content, sometimes by reframing real events in a way that serves their narrative.”

The distribution of this content on platforms like TikTok leverages algorithms that amplify exposure. “This is not something especially complex, but rather relatively simple methods that do not require a high level of expertise,” Haberfeld explains. “That is why they are used both by the Iranian regime and by supporters of the regime and the resistance axis, at times even without direct guidance.”

According to Haberfeld, psychological operations have evolved from a secondary concern to “a central part of the modern battlefield.” For Iran specifically, these tactics help “compensate for operational weakness” through a coordinated cross-border effort involving Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While Israel attempts to counter with its own messaging through IDF and Foreign Ministry channels, experts suggest these efforts may be insufficient against what they describe as “the well-oiled machine of the axis of evil.” The IDF does maintain an Influence Department dedicated to psychological operations, and sources familiar with Israel’s preparation for operations against Iran confirmed that deception and influence tactics were key components of their planning.

“I hope we learn to focus on this essential front as well,” Haberfeld concluded. “It is no less important than the other fronts.”