Iran’s ‘Godfather of propaganda’ tactics resurface in war with US and Israel

Just hours earlier the ceasefire woody went into effect connected Tuesday betwixt the U.S. and Iran’s clerical authorities to intermission warring for 2 weeks, the authorities urged young children and adults to situation Iranian vigor facilities arsenic quality shields successful absorption to President Trump's menace to hitch retired its vigor infrastructure.

The reasoning down Iran’s regime's willingness to usage children and civilians arsenic cannon fodder, according to observers, is that an American airstrike that kills children oregon civilians volition dramatically sway U.S. nationalist sentiment against the warfare and make a rally-round-the-regime effect successful Tehran.

And present with high-level bid talks owed to commencement betwixt the U.S. and Iran successful Pakistan, Tehran tin beryllium seen arsenic the godfather of propaganda erstwhile it comes to manipulating overmuch of the world's media — adjacent much skilled than its panic apprentice forces successful Gaza and Lebanon. Yemen and beyond.

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A billboard showing a representation of the precocious Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed successful U.S.-Israeli strikes, looms implicit an bare quadrate successful Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

"Godfather of propaganda"

Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital that the theocratic state’s exploitation of civilians for their warfare purpose is portion and parcel of their astir half-century playbook against the West. "The Islamic Republic is the Godfather of propaganda. It has spent 47 years perfecting the creation of saying 1 happening astatine the negotiating array and doing different successful the field. The Trump medication should locomotion into these talks with maximum skepticism. This authorities has ne'er kept its connection connected its weapons, and there's nary crushed to judge this clip is different."

She pointed to Tehran's "record of positioning civilian infrastructure — hospitals, mosques, schools and present powerfulness plants — arsenic subject shields. They did it successful Lebanon done Hezbollah. They did it successful Gaza done Hamas. And they are doing it present connected their ain soil, with their ain people, nether coercion. Iranians who garbage to enactment look consequences."

Daftari, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Desk, added that, "Iran's authorities has ne'er hesitated to usage its ain radical arsenic a shield. The quality present is they're doing it successful beforehand of cameras, successful existent time, knowing precisely which images volition marque prime-time quality astir the world. This is propaganda. And the two-week ceasefire conscionable gave them much clip to manipulate the West and proceed connected successful their communicative warfare."

Members of information forces ticker implicit the assemblage during a ceremonial procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside different elder naval commanders and their families who were killed successful US-Israeli strikes successful precocious March, connected April 1, 2026 successful Tehran, Iran.  (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Capitalizing connected a tragedy

Right astatine the opening of "Operation Epic Fury", the world's media was afloat of accounts from Iran of an aerial onslaught that reportedly deed an Iranian schoolhouse for girls successful the municipality of Minab Feb. 28. The aerial onslaught reportedly killed 175 people, astir of whom were children, astatine the Shajarah Tayyebeh simple school, according to the regime. The schoolhouse was located connected the aforesaid thoroughfare arsenic buildings utilized by the IRGC. A Pentagon probe was launched successful March to look into the allegations that a U.S. rocket struck the school.

Speaking to Fox News Digital past month, Iranian-American writer Banafsheh Zand, who has been pursuing the reporting, pointed to the information that the schoolhouse that has been determination for much than a decennary and its reported affiliation with Iran’s military. She said that portion the authorities claims betwixt 168 fatalities and 180 fatalities, mostly girls betwixt the ages of 7 and 12, on with teachers and parents from the school, determination has been nary autarkic confirmation of the reported casualty figures. 

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"There is nary confirmation connected the fig of people, from anyone different than authorities sources," she said. "Some radical successful the country said it was 65 boys. Sixty-five boys? What are 65 boys doing successful a girls’ schoolhouse astatine 10:30 connected a Saturday morning?"

Both Democratic and Republican U.S. administrations person classified Iran’s authorities arsenic a starring state-sponsor of terrorism.

Iranian worshippers clasp up their hands arsenic signs of unity with Iran's erstwhile Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel's attacks connected Iran, successful downtown Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025.  (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fooling the media

Speaking connected ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,' connected Thursday, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the American media was "essentially… carrying h2o for Iran."

Jonathan Ruhe, a chap astatine JINSA, told Fox News Digital, "The authorities wants to amusement the Iranian radical that it is not weakened contempt each the deaths successful its enactment and losses successful its arsenals, and to assertion legitimacy by showing it is winning against the eternal American and Israeli enemies."

He said, "Like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran uses civilians arsenic quality shields for propaganda purposes. It cares thing for the information and destiny of its ain people. It wants to represent the state arsenic undaunted and consenting to sacrifice for victory. And if civilians are killed, each the amended for the regime's governmental goals… Iran wants to undermine U.S. home enactment for the warfare by framing it arsenic America doing Israel's bidding, and by utilizing AI-generated disinformation to picture monolithic demolition and casualties astatine U.S. bases successful the Middle East."

The authorities suffered a situation of legitimacy aft millions of Iranians poured into the streets successful January and demanded the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.

Both the IRGC and Basij — the regime’s thoroughfare warring paramilitary troops — played a cardinal relation successful the wide execution of 45,000 Iranian civilians successful January, who protested the regime. President Trump said successful his code to the federation that the authorities killed 45,000 people. The erstwhile decease toll was estimated to beryllium implicit 35,000 people.

Iranians stitchery portion blocking a thoroughfare during a protestation successful Tehran, Iran connected January 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Ruhe said, "As it did earlier the war, it besides wants to delegitimize protesters and different interior absorption by depicting them arsenic American and Israeli agents. It tin beryllium expected to ramp up each of these propaganda efforts during the ceasefire. The United States and our partners volition beryllium portion of this intended audience, too."

Using children successful war

Adding to its deadly propaganda mix, the authorities freely uses kid soldiers to execute its goals. According to Amnesty International, "Eyewitness accounts and verified audiovisual grounds amusement kid soldiers having been deployed astatine IRGC checkpoints and patrols, equipped with weapons, including AK47pattern rifles."

Erika Guevara-Rosas, elder manager for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, for Amnesty stated successful the study that, "The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children arsenic young arsenic 12 to articulation an IRGC tally subject campaign, putting them successful sedate information and violating planetary law, which prohibits the recruitment and usage of children successful the military. Recruiting children nether 15 into the equipped forces constitutes a warfare crime."

Iranian schoolboys deterioration Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) subject uniforms and outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during a ceremonial marking the 47th day of the triumph of Iran's Islamic Revolution astatine the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini successful the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery successful confederate Tehran, Iran, connected Feb. 1, 2026 (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jennifer Dyer, a retired commandant of U.S. Naval Intelligence, told Fox News "I’d accidental the remnant of the authorities can’t muster capable quality shields to beryllium doing it each implicit the place.  The radical are excessively resistant.  Protests continued successful the state the past mates of days, and immoderate reporting connected societal media indicated a crackdown by the Basij connected protesters aft the alleged ceasefire was announced."

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In precocious March, a lawman of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps of Greater Tehran, Rahim Nadali, declared that the authorities launched a  recruitment run called the "Homeland-Defending Combatants for Iran" that is "open to volunteers" aged 12 and older. The thrust to enlistee kid soldiers took spot successful mosques and bases of the paramilitary enactment Basij. The recruitment run sought adolescents to articulation "combatants defending the homeland."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Iran’s U.N. Mission successful New York for a comment.