How Iran is using X, Instagram to counter US-Israeli narrative on internet

People look up during an Iranian missile attack warning, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem March 20, 2026. (Image Reuters)Iran has stepped up its social media and digital campaigns as part of its response to US and Israeli military actions. The country is posting heavily on X, Instagram, and Bluesky, sharing videos, images, and messages that favour Iran’s perspective.

The country is also using AI-generated images and videos to make Iran look more successful in war and exaggerate damage to the US and Israel. By using AI tools, fake videos, and targeted messaging, Iran tries to influence public opinion abroad.

Cyber experts told The Guardian that Iran is now using online influence much more aggressively. This is part of an ‘asymmetric’ campaign, which just means Iran is using methods other than traditional military attacks.
“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,” said Darren Linvill, co-director of Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub in South Carolina.
Some social media accounts, which used to focus on Scottish or Irish politics, are now posting about Iran, for example, condemning the killing of Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and the airstrike on a school in Minab that killed at least 175 people, mostly girls.

Other accounts in the US, which used to post against Trump’s anti-migration policies, have also been suspended. These accounts are being replaced by content from Iranian proxies and embassies.

Various videos claim that Iran attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, show bomb damage in Tel Aviv, and show Israeli soldiers looking scared or crying because of Iran attack. However, all these videos and images are AI generated. US President Donald Trump has called it a ‘disinformation weapon.’

Iran has cut off almost all internet access inside the country and is warning people not to use satellite internet like Starlink.

Iranian authorities are also trying to scare Iranians living abroad. According to the reports, people outside Iran are getting phone calls or online messages warning that their citizenship could be taken away or their family back home could be harmed if they post anything against the Iranian government or in support of the US-Israel war.

“All their normal social media activities have been completely changed to focus on the war,” said Linvill.