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As the U.S. military masses its largest military presence in the Middle East in more than 20 years, Iran is waging a parallel information war aimed at destabilizing Western societies and legitimizing violence against not only America, but against Israel and Jews worldwide. Iran is using propaganda as digital missiles across traditional and social media. Iranian state TV aired an AI simulation of its military sinking the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Social media feeds and AI systems have made it easier than ever for false narratives to spread faster than facts – often with no cost to those spreading them. Disinformation no longer operates only on the fringes – it is deliberately amplified by terror groups, hostile countries, organizations and influencers peddling power and profit over facts. Ultimately, lies can shift public opinion and affect national policy.
Iran: A Coordinated Disinformation Threat
American embassy staffers in Lebanon are being evacuated and Israel is on high alert for potential Iranian strikes against the Jewish state.
In Latin America, the Islamic Republic’s HispanTV “elevates the Iranian regime as a moral and strategic alternative to Western democracies, positioning Tehran as the defender of truth and justice,” according to a new ADL report.
The report describes how Iran operates a sophisticated influence network in Spanish – targeting an audience far beyond the Middle East. Iran’s TV channel also glorified terrorist organizations that target the U.S. and Israel, celebrated the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, slaughter of more than 1,200 innocent men, women and children – including 46 Americans – and recycled common anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.
Additional reporting by Fuente Latina documents how Iranian agents have infiltrated countries in South America and how Venezuela is a narco-terror state that supports Iran and its proxy terror groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Iran uses “access diplomacy” to filter its narrative – granting select Western activists and influencers tightly controlled entry and the “red carpet” experience that produces state-friendly content for foreign audiences. There is no free press in Iran, only a “state-controlled narrative.”
American activist Calla Walsh – co-founder of Palestine Action U.S. – echoed Iranian state propaganda in a recent visit to an Iranian military exhibition: “It’s incredibly powerful to stand amongst the missiles and drones that are resisting U.S. imperialism and Zionism.”
Qatar: Laundering Influence Through Media
The Washington Free Beacon recently published excerpts of Al Jazeera’s style guide that bans reporters from calling Islamic State (ISIS) and Hamas “terrorist” organizations and prevents journalists from using other terms. The media organization – which operates an American news channel and maintains a massive social media presence – was founded and funded by the Qatari government.
The small but very wealthy Gulf monarchy publicly portrays itself as a moderate partner and global mediator while simultaneously funding organizations and media outlets that consistently undermine Western interests. Al Jazeera routinely promotes anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda.
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