How Iran’s Propaganda Machine Succeeds in the West

How Iran’s Propaganda Machine Succeeds in the West

How Iran’s Propaganda Machine Succeeds in the West

Iran has been successful in dividing public opinion in the West over supporting the Iranians’ struggle for freedom and democracy.

 

 

How Iran’s Propaganda Machine Succeeds in the West
How Iran’s Propaganda Machine Succeeds in the West

 

When the 1979 Revolution in Iran was still in its nascent phase, the majority of the groups involved were secular and left-wing. However, the religious factions ultimately took over and established the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) due to, in large part, better organizational capacities, pragmatism and foreign help. In turn, the regime became, and still is, a theocratic dictatorship. As a result, and as is the case in any dictatorship, the regime set out to devise a strategy to legitimize its dictatorial nature as well as the cult of its supreme leader.

To do so, the regime adopted a double-pronged strategy. On the one hand, it exported its ideological religious revolution to Shia-majority countries and, crucially, to Shia-majority areas in Sunni countries to stir sectarian disorder. On the other hand, Tehran established an effective propaganda machine in what it deems to be a hostile West. The latter aspect is a fact that is little known and even less recognized, and yet it has been of great significance in helping to legitimize the regime.

The body behind this propaganda machine in the Western world is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is directly run by Ayatollah Khamenei and his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Indeed, the IRGC trains both the regime’s armed and ideological soldiers who go through extreme indoctrination from a very early age. Thousands of non-combatant IRGC members were enrolled in order to implement Iran’s ideological war by publishing articles and research papers in the media, making documentaries and, more recently, adopting a savvy use of social media.

 

Read more: Fair Observer

Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

Latest news
Related news