About six to nine months ago, whenever an analyst or expert from the monarchist front appeared on Iran International's programs, a group of government-affiliated cyber operatives—masquerading under the guise of “nationalism”—would shamelessly attack with insults, mockery, and labels. These individuals falsely claimed that supporting Prince Reza Pahlavi meant boycotting Iran International, and instead promoted another media outlet—one that had previously given a platform to ethnic terrorist groups like Komala and the Democratic Party in Iraq, radical religious movements, or regime-affiliated reformists linked to the Khatami and Rafsanjani factions. Later, that same outlet began exploiting the Pahlavi name in the media market.
Nevertheless, Iran International has acted responsibly and commendably on many issues, including the persecution of Bahai’s, harassment of Jews, and highlighting the plight of the regime’s victims. However, the intelligence and security dimensions of this matter are extensive: the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization have never been interested in allowing monarchist analysts to gain visibility. As such, anonymous cyber agents and fake social media users are part of the Islamic Republic’s overseas intelligence operations.
Despite all the pressures, Iran International has consistently provided a strong and stable platform for expert analysts from the monarchist front—including figures like Amir Taheri, Erfan Fard, Amir Hamidi, who approach developments with knowledge and professionalism.
The threats against journalists and their families in countries such as Iran, the U.S., the UK, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, and Belgium are a clear sign of the Islamic Republic’s expanding transnational intelligence, security, and psychological operations. These actions are typically carried out by operatives from the Ministry of Intelligence, IRGC Intelligence, and Quds Force, often under diplomatic cover. Death threats, pressure to stop cooperation, physical attacks, and character assassinations are just some of their tactics. In recent months, accusations of espionage have emerged as a new tool in this hybrid warfare—a war aimed at psychologically destabilizing the opposition and gradually erasing them from the media landscape. But the truth is that no journalist, writer, or translator possesses the technical training of a spy, nor do they operate within such a framework.
Labeling analysts and journalists as “Israeli spies” is more of a propaganda tactic than a legal or security approach. The aim of these accusations is to prepare public opinion and security agencies for illegal actions such as kidnapping, assassination, or physical elimination. These methods have a long history in the Islamic Republic and have been justified for decades through religious fatwas supporting the assassination of dissidents. Today, the same project continues under a modern façade and in the form of security narratives.
During the recent 12-day war between Iran and Israel, the Islamic Republic once again showed that it has no strategic substance to offer. Weakness, incapacity, and total confusion prevailed. Inside the country, repression, torture, and execution remain daily policies. Under such conditions, Iran International is not only a successful and effective news network, but from the regime’s perspective, it is also considered part of the so-called “enemy’s war.” The regime has even categorized its actions against the network as part of its “media passive defense” doctrine and has used regime-affiliated individuals—sometimes disguised as reformists or analysts—to legitimize these actions. Ironically, the regime itself has on numerous occasions exploited Iran International—particularly through anonymous or off-the-record sources—for psychological operations or steering public opinion.
In this context, Iran International’s recent appeal to the United Nations is a significant and intelligent move to internationalize the Islamic Republic’s threats. This approach not only exposes the regime’s shadow operations but could also lay the groundwork for serious legal and diplomatic pressure on the government in Tehran—a lawful path to counter the Islamic Republic’s global intelligence and terrorist projects.
In the end, it must be said that the threats against Iran International’s journalists—most of whom are respected, professional, and beloved colleagues—are part of the regime’s active intelligence doctrine to suppress the wave of exposure and the media war against it. Yet these malicious threats have not caused the network to back down; rather, they have expanded its audience, bolstered its credibility, and sustained the presence of expert analysts—individuals who maintain a live, informed, and dynamic relationship with the Iranian public and continue to offer realistic and direct analysis.
This trend shows that the more the regime increases its threats and intimidation, the more truth becomes visible, and the stronger Iran International’s resolve for resistance and enlightenment grows. Going forward, Iran International will emerge stronger than ever—because, in time, the dust will settle, the curtains will lift, and the truth, more radiant than ever, will reveal itself.