BirGün Gazetesi
O. Suat Özçelebi - Political Communication Consultant Iran is attempting to overcome its military weakness through asymmetric communication. Particularly on social media, it is successfully continuing the communication war it launched against asymmetric military power, despite having lost a significant proportion of its leadership and command structure in the early days of the attack. It has balanced out the military imbalance through communication and has largely gained the upper hand. The US and Israel are unable to effectively counter Iran’s political communication and disinformation strategy, which is powerful, multi-layered, and targets diverse audiences. The perception of a resilient nation has expanded the regime’s sphere of legitimacy even amongst domestic opponents, whilst Netanyahu has transformed opposition to Trump into the core of his narrative through the genocide and war crimes committed in Gaza. He has effectively organised the humanitarian and collective response triggered by the targeting of civilian targets, and has succeeded in framing his position as the ‘victim of an attack’ within an anti-imperialist framework and on the basis of international law. EMOTIONAL ENGINEERING IS AT WORK AGAIN Far beyond dry digital propaganda, they're using cinematic, humorous political communication products—where emotional engineering and the full capabilities of artificial intelligence are skilfully woven together—to influence vast audiences across numerous social media platforms. Alongside visually engaging videos that do not shy away from using elements of disinformation—such as claiming to have struck aircraft carriers that were never hit, or downing aircraft and targets that could not be hit—the emotional animations produced following the US airstrike on the Shacereh Tayebeh Girls’ Primary School in the Minab region, where dozens of children were killed, are particularly noteworthy. Mocking through Lego animations, a ‘cool’ and particularly sarcastic tone directed at leaders is capturing many people’s attention. The narrative is largely planned around simple animations blending victory and victimhood, images of leaders showing solidarity with the public or on the streets, and an air of ‘even the opposition is on my side’. There is absolutely no backing down or panic in communication; on the contrary, the barrage of viral memes and animations continues unabated. We are faced with a hybrid of diplomacy and communication that reflects Iran’s “uncompromising stance” and honourable resistance, despite having been largely devastated and having suffered heavy losses, and despite structural damage that may set it back by as much as 20 years. It has succeeded in ‘demonising’ its opponent’s image in the West and the Global South. Indeed, the aggression of Israel and the US, which disregards humanity and international law, facilitates this at every level. The anti-war rhetoric, which initially emerged in the West only with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has now spread to the leadership level across the entire EU—including France, the UK, Italy and Germany—despite the presence of very powerful Israeli lobbies. In this, Iran’s public diplomacy and communication offensive—which exploits this situation as effectively as the arrogance of Israel and the US—has also been influential. PLATFORM STRATEGY AND CHINESE SUPPORT We are facing a serious “platform strategy”. Organic posts, whilst conventionally propaganda-based, are attracting significant attention across every platform. A inclusive stance centred on resistance and victimhood is being displayed. For example, the moving song/lament “Ali Ali” by the Iranian singer-songwriter Hüseyin Sotoodeh, which has been viewed millions of times, is a prime example of emotion-centred communication, with its rhythmic structure and a music video that reflects the atmosphere of a collective ritual. Constructing a message through an architecture of emotion rather than data can resonate strongly on the international stage. Today, the significant role of similar communication—which has created a response among the public and across all forms of media—is evident in the fact that many Western leaders have distanced themselves from Trump’s call, moving to the position that “this is not our war”. Furthermore, it is transforming into a call that unites millions of Shia Muslims against a common enemy. It is evident that China is also providing indirect support to Iran via internet infrastructure and digital platforms. For example, wuxia-style animations themed around the “Persian Cat (Iranian cat)” and “White Eagle (US eagle)” portray the US as “irresponsible/aggressive” and Iran as “victimised but cool”. These are racking up millions of “likes”, and there is a serious barrage of anti-Trump memes on Chinese social media (Weibo, Douyin). Even the Iranian embassy is sharing these in China. In parallel, Iran’s Lego videos are pushing the same narrative (Trump as wild and angry) but in a Chinese style (presented as patient, philosophical and peace-loving). THE COMMUNICATIONS WAR IN THE POST-TRUTH ERA The short films, generated by artificial intelligence and attracting considerable attention, are not attacking countries directly, but rather Trump and Netanyahu. Iran’s strategy of assigning its own ‘meaning’ to facts appears to have achieved its objective to a certain extent. The communication war unfolding against the backdrop of the post-truth era has, in fact, turned into a battle where everyone constructs their own version of the truth. US officials and institutions have frequently been forced to issue statements urging media outlets not to share such material. The White House, which broadcasts footage of real air strikes combined with visuals taken from video games and action films, and the Secretary of Defence’s statements, are in fact a reflection of yet another form of disinformation. US President Donald Trump’s contradictory statements have now begun to change not just daily, but hourly. The global public no longer finds his words either true or credible. This, in turn, makes Iran’s task all the easier. HOW IS IRAN SUCCEEDING IN DIGITAL PROPAGANDA? The process is coordinated by Iran’s own internal mechanisms, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated media and cyber units. Command centres must have been severely damaged under heavy bombardment. However, the uninterrupted output and continuity demonstrate that they have been investing in ‘soft war’ and digital propaganda for years, and that artificial intelligence has made their work easier. The IRGC has media and cyber arms managing this process. Organisations such as Tasnim News Agency, Fars News, IRIB and Revayat-e Fath act as primary distributors in this process. It is alleged that the regime feeds social media through networks of fake accounts (linked to the IRGC, according to a Clemson University study) and Besic’s troll groups, numbering approximately 20,000. For instance, the Seraj Cyberspace Organisation, established in 2013 to target regime opponents, is a structure within the IRGC that trains, organises, and deploys pro-regime internet users (a sort of troll army) to spread disinformation and propaganda on social media. Furthermore, Lego-style AI animations produced by a relatively independent activist group known as Explosive News/Explosive Media—which emerged in 2025 and is suspected of having links to the regime—(depicting Trump and Netanyahu examining the Epstein file with the devil, a barrage of missiles, the bombing of a school, etc.) are garnering millions of views on YouTube, Instagram and X. They describe themselves as “independent students and social activists”. However, there is serious doubt due to the fact that their videos are immediately shared by IRGC accounts. The New Yorker and many other sources view this claim of “independence” with scepticism. WILL DIGITAL SUCCESS PROTECT THE PEOPLE? Iranian embassies around the world are also directly sharing such memes and animations on social media. The real question is: to what extent will this success in managing communication and digital platforms—demonstrated through pre-planned, data-driven preparations—protect the Iranian people in concrete terms, as much as it protects the clerical regime? With the ‘ceasefire’ appearing highly fragile, the uncertainty is deepening considerably. The risk remains high that the war could still engulf the entire region and numerous countries. It seems as though the prevailing picture is that of a conflict with no clear winner, merely postponed. It is difficult to say how long Iran can sustain the tactical superiority it has established in this regard; can it remain merely a limited regional threat with its missile capabilities? Particularly given the massive destruction caused by the war—which has targeted universities and major industrial facilities alongside military and nuclear sites—it appears that even if peace is restored, the damage will take many years to repair. It is abundantly clear that this will also affect the capacity to wage an asymmetric communications war, as well as the resources allocated to it and the technological infrastructure. A new world order is being built. Alliances and roles are being redefined in both the West and the East. In this age where truth has become trivialised, all wars will now unfold on the ‘melting ground of reality’, dependent on powerful communication strategies and disinformation shields. The perception of threat lies not only in nuclear weapons and military capabilities, but also in your alliances, your viral and soft power architecture, and the capabilities of the teams managing your communication networks. As much as in who writes the narrative… Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Asimetrik savaşın yeni cephesi: İran’ın iletişim üstünlüğü , published in BirGün newspaper on April 18, 2026.
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