New Age War: Is Iran Using Social Media, AI To Counter US-Israel Military Attacks?

Last Updated:March 22, 2026, 16:17 IST

Iran ramps up AI driven disinformation on X, Instagram and Bluesky in asymmetric info war over Gulf conflict, targeting US opinion and intimidating expatriate Iranians.

As the war in the Gulf continues to escalate, Iran has radically changed its social media strategy as part of its information war launched to counter US and Israeli military attacks.

The Guardian quoted cyber experts saying that Iranian foreign influence operations have gone into overdrive as part of an “asymmetric" campaign designed to complement its military retaliation and intensify moral pressure on the US and Israel into curtailing their war efforts.

As part of the campaign, social media platforms such as X, Instagram and Bluesky have reportedly been flooded with posts meant to exploit the war’s unpopularity in the US, including among supporters of Donald Trump.

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According to The Guardian, some AI generated footage has faked successful strikes on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, bomb damage supposedly inflicted on buildings in Tel Aviv, and Israeli soldiers supposedly crying in fear over Iranian retaliation.

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This comes as the regime imposed a near-total internet blackout and threatened punishments to those found using satellite internet connections, such as Starlink.

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Iran’s campaign to use the AI has been time and again been criticized by Trump, who accused Tehran of using AI as a “disinformation weapon".

Meanwhile, the government officials have also reportedly tried to intimidate Iranians living abroad against posting online messages against the regime or in favour the US-Israeli war effort. The Guardian reported that expatriate Iranians were receiving phone calls or online warnings that their citizenship will be revoked or family members in Iran harmed unless they stop posting.

Also Read: Iran Claims It Shot Down ‘Enemy’ F-15 Near Hormuz Hours After Trump’s ’48 Hour’ Ultimatum

“It’s absolutely asymmetric warfare. The use of artificial intelligence is impressive, and it’s at a rate that I don’t think anybody’s seen before to the same extent or in the same way," The Guardian quoted Darren Linvill, co-director of the Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub in South Carolina and author of a study into Iran’s tactics.

“Iran is using every advantage they had. They had been preparing for this conflict for almost 50 years, and this was part of what they prepared for. They understand the media ecosystem," he said.

He further said: “There were accounts run by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] pretending to be Scottish and Irish and talking about Scottish and Irish politics one day and then exclusively focused the war in Iran and unabashed Iranian propaganda the next."

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