Iranian state media have seized on comments by former US President Donald Trump, who publicized remarks made by Ali Shamkhani, the influential former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to claim a propaganda victory. This development has alarmed Israeli security officials as it marks a new chapter in Tehran’s ongoing campaign to manipulate global discourse surrounding Israel and the region. The celebration in Iranian media highlights the regime’s adept use of information warfare to support its aggression against Israel and the West, in the context of intensifying hostilities executed by Tehran’s terror proxy network.
Lede: Iranian state media celebrated a perceived success in their propaganda war after former US President Donald Trump circulated statements by Ali Shamkhani, a senior Iranian security official. Israeli authorities warn that this manipulation provides Iranian information operatives with strategic advantages in the ongoing conflict imposed on Israel and its allies by Iran and its regional proxies.
Iranian Disinformation as a Strategic Weapon
Iran’s multilevel approach to regional conflict integrates military action with sophisticated disinformation tactics. After Trump referenced Shamkhani’s remarks, Iranian outlets such as Fars and Tasnim highlighted what they called an unearned but significant acknowledgment of Tehran’s narrative by a major Western figure. For observers in Iran, this suggested that the regime’s messaging had penetrated Western discourse, all without the Islamic Republic making any real concessions at the negotiating table.
The calculated amplification of Shamkhani’s comments fits a pattern: Iran’s psychological operations seek to frame its leadership and proxy forces as legitimate actors, while portraying Israel’s defensive measures as aggression. Israeli intelligence and security sources stress that these efforts are not merely rhetorical—they are closely synchronized with terrorist activities directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated militias, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian-aligned armed groups in Syria and Iraq.
Background: Iran’s Regional Network of Terror
Ali Shamkhani, an IRGC admiral, is a principal architect of Tehran’s network of armed proxies, which collectively form the “Axis of Resistance.” These groups receive funding, training, and ideological direction from Iran, and are responsible for sustained violence against Israel and other regional actors. This coalition of terror organizations claims to resist Western influence, but in practice has executed large-scale atrocities such as the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas—the most deadly antisemitic terror attack since the Holocaust, involving mass executions, sexual crimes, and the abduction of innocent hostages.
In the months since, Israel’s military campaign has targeted Hamas and its Iranian backers in Gaza, confronted Hezbollah in northern Israel, intercepted missiles and drones from the Houthis, and worked to prevent IRGC activity in Syria and Iraq. The Iranian regime and its media persistently seek to distort the narrative, painting Israel’s acts of self-defense as criminal, while downplaying or concealing their own coordination and sponsorship of regional violence.
Amplifying Psychological Impact
The Iranian reaction to Trump’s involvement confirms their intent: regime media used the opportunity to frame recent events as a victory for their information campaign. Their assertion that “they received exactly what they wanted, without even dragging their feet in negotiations” is emblematic of the psychological warfare Tehran wages. Israeli analysts underline that, in today’s global information environment, even unintended endorsement by a major foreign political figure reinforces the regime’s objectives and provides momentum to its propaganda operations.
Israeli Response and Interpretation
Senior Israeli security officials expressed concern over this episode, emphasizing that Iran’s ability to exploit Western freedoms and amplify its narrative poses a tangible threat to Israel’s international legitimacy and security. When Western leaders or public figures engage—even inadvertently—with messaging produced by groups linked to the IRGC, they risk giving credibility to actors designated as terrorist organizations by much of the West. The incident demonstrates how information warfare—alongside active terror operations—remains central to Iran’s strategy.
The Challenge for Western Democracies
For Western societies, the episode is a cautionary example of the dangers posed by sophisticated state actors who blend military aggression with narrative manipulation. From the 1979 Iranian Revolution through decades of hostage crises, proxy wars, and modern hybrid warfare, Iran continues to exploit divisions in the West. Its goal: to erode resolve, delegitimize Israel’s right to self-defense, and sow confusion about the reality of state-sponsored terror in the Middle East.
Implications for Regional Conflict
The information campaign Iranian media waged following the circulation of Shamkhani’s comments must be assessed against the backdrop of the October 7 massacre, ongoing rocket attacks, persistent threats from Hezbollah, and Iran’s relentless effort to project force through its terrorist proxies. By amplifying its narrative internationally, the regime attempts to present its proxy warfare as a legitimate resistance while obscuring the reality of its own sponsorship of terror and violence. Israeli military and diplomatic leaders underscore that clarity in communication and continued exposure of Iranian manipulation are essential if the democratic world is to maintain solidarity against the Iranian threat.
Moving Forward: Safeguarding Truth and Security
As Israel and its partners work to dismantle the Iranian-backed terror infrastructure and defend their populations, the challenge of countering not only military threats but also disinformation remains constant. The episode serves as a reminder of the broader hybrid war that Israel is forced to fight—a war in which Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Iran-aligned groups operate in tandem with a sophisticated propaganda machine designed to influence international opinion and undermine the legitimacy of Israel’s right to self-defense.
Responsible journalism, analytical rigor, and vigilance in confronting propaganda are the most effective weapons against such campaigns. The ongoing conflict, brought into stark relief by the October 7 massacres and the reaction to Trump’s circulation of Iranian regime statements, demonstrates the urgent need for the international community to recognize the pattern of Iranian disinformation and its connection to acts of terror. Only by separating the facts from regime-crafted fiction can the world maintain a clear understanding of the stakes—and the moral clarity required to confront Iranian-backed violence in the region.
