Edward Said, in his book Orientalism, examines the decisive role of narratives in structures of power. In his view—particularly in the realm of media—power belongs to those who are able to impose their own narrative as the dominant one. In the age of media wars, social networks, artificial intelligence, and fake accounts, narratives are abundant while truth is scarce. An avalanche of images, statistics, and conflicting stories increasingly blurs the line between reality and propaganda, making the task of discerning truth more difficult for the public than ever before.
Images and reports emerging from Iran point to an unprecedented level of violence and repression. The scenes are shocking, the number of casualties is high, and access to verified information grows more difficult by the day. Under such conditions, not only is the exact number of victims unclear, but the persistence of this ambiguity appears deliberate and may remain unresolved for a long time.
The Iranian authorities describe the protests as “engineered” and the product of U.S. and Mossad interference—an accusation that has been repeatedly and casually leveled against political opponents over the past forty-seven years. At the same time, vastly different figures regarding the number of those killed circulate in media outlets and across social networks. The government has published the names of fewer than three thousand people in official newspapers, a figure that does not correspond with field observations or eyewitness testimonies coming from inside Iran. In contrast, various individuals and groups cite much higher numbers, ranging from 12,000 to as many as 500,000.
This statistical ambiguity has itself become a new battlefield of competing narratives. Some of these figures are used as tools to justify a potential U.S. or Israeli military attack on Iran. Arguments frequently seen on social media claim that “the Islamic Republic killed more of its own citizens in two days than Israel killed in Gaza in two years; therefore, the cost of an Israeli or American military strike is lower than the cost of the Islamic Republic’s survival.” Such claims are not only statistically false and logically fallacious—given that Israel has killed far more people than it officially acknowledges and is actively erasing the traces of what amounts to genocide—but they also demonstrate how internal repression is repurposed to prepare public opinion for foreign intervention.
In this context, the role of major Persian-language media outlets based outside Iran has become highly controversial. Media organizations such as Iran International and BBC Persian have been accused of selectively amplifying certain slogans to portray an exaggerated level of popularity for Reza Pahlavi—who maintains close relations with Israel and has openly called for military action against Iran. This narrative does not align with field data or independent research.
In an analytical report, the French newspaper Le Figaro examined coordinated online networks and highlighted the role of fake accounts and organized digital operations
in promoting specific political figures within the Iranian opposition. Many of these accounts were created in 2023, remained dormant, and became active only in 2025 with the onset of protests. The report shows how mass, synchronized reposting produces a distorted image of popular support. Another Le Figaro report, drawing on research by Social Forensics, identifies thousands of fake accounts and AI-generated activities used to boost Reza Pahlavi’s visibility on social media, including more than 4,765 active fake accounts and manipulated datasets. These findings align with a Haaretz investigation published in October 2025, which revealed that Israel has been waging an influence campaign portraying Reza Pahlavi as a popular leader inside Iran.
This article does not aim to provide definitive answers regarding the exact number of those killed or the true extent of Reza Pahlavi’s popularity. Pahlavi is a 67-year-old man who has lived in exile for forty-seven years and is the son of a monarch who was forced out of Iran once during the nationalization of the oil industry in 1953 and again in 1979 following the revolution. From a legal standpoint, he does not hold the title of “prince,” as the constitution that designated his father as king and him as crown prince was abolished in the 1979 referendum, rendering all royal titles legally void.
Establishing the truth is the responsibility of time and independent fact-finding commissions. What is crucial in the meantime is to grasp the complexity of the situation in Iran. On one hand, there is an authoritarian regime that has made ordinary life nearly impossible for millions through political repression, runaway
inflation, and destructive economic policies. In response to legitimate protests, the state has reacted brutally, killing thousands of civilians and detaining tens of thousands more. On the other hand, there are clear signs and growing evidence of foreign intervention, particularly by Israel, trying to manipulate these protests.
This dual reality underscores a tragic paradox: while Iranians are risking their lives to demand basic rights and freedoms, their struggle is being exploited by external powers seeking to advance geopolitical objectives. Any attempt to understand the situation without recognizing both the domestic repression and the external manipulation risks oversimplifying the crisis. It is a conflict where authoritarian brutality, legitimate dissent, and international interference intersect, creating a web of violence, propaganda, and uncertainty
What can we do? Human rights estimates indicate that prior to the latest wave of protests, tens of thousands of political prisoners were already held in Iranian prisons, and that an additional 20,000 people have been arrested during the recent crackdown. These individuals face torture, forced confessions, and even execution. Experience has shown that publicizing the names of prisoners can save lives. Figures such as Varisheh Moradi, Pakhshan Azizi, Alireza Jalali, Toomaj Salehi, Saman Yasin, Sepideh Gholian, Narges Mohammadi, Sharifeh Mohammadi, Farhad Meysami, Hossein Ronaghi, Arash Sadeghi, and Reza Shahabi were
spared execution or disappearance largely due to sustained public and media pressure.
If there is only one thing that you can do for the people of Iran, it is this: be the voice of detainees and political prisoners.
References
Le Figaro – Analysis on coordinated digital influence operations related to Iran
Haaretz – The Israeli Influence Operation in Iran Pushing to Reinstate the Shah Monarchy (October 2025)
