Iran’s Use Of Psychological Warfare Against Its Adversaries And Strategies For Deterrence – Analysis

Middle East Quarterly / Babak Taghvaee

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The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)—Iran’s state-controlled media corporation—holds a monopoly over the country’s domestic radio and television services. 1 Accordingly, it plays a central role in Iran’s psychological operations against political adversaries—operations commonly understood as components of the regime’s “soft war.” 2

The IRIB operates alongside news outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as well as a network of IRGC-controlled psychological warfare units and front companies. Together, these entities form the core of Iran’s state-directed influence apparatus that target adversaries. As of March 13, 2025, the IRIB controls approximately 376 million U.S. dollars (about 35,000 billion tomans) that it allocates toward psychological warfare.3 In recent years, the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the IRIB and affiliated media organizations for their involvement in human rights violations. 4 However, these sanctions have not significantly impeded the IRIB’s initiatives.

Over time, the regime’s propaganda warfare tactics have evolved into a comprehensive system of influence operations. 5 These activities have not only expanded Tehran’s reach beyond its borders but also endangered the national security of its adversaries. 6 They range from incitement and orchestrated unrest to the recruitment of foreign nationals who carry out acts of terrorism and sabotage, and engage in espionage across Europe and North America. 7

The U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions8 have frequently targeted the financial arms of the IRIB, aiming to impose financial costs on the managers and authorities who oversee the regime’s propaganda apparatus. However, these measures have largely failed to disrupt the IRIB’s operations in any meaningful way. A key reason for this failure has been the active role played by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in helping these entities to evade sanctions.9

This paper draws on six years of comprehensive research focused on identifying the threats posed by Iran’s propaganda warfare apparatus against regime critics. Its principal goal is to recommend effective strategies to fully neutralize these threats.