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

Just hours earlier nan ceasefire woody went into effect connected Tuesday betwixt nan U.S. and Iran’s clerical authorities to region fighting for 2 weeks, nan authorities urged young children and adults to situation Iranian power accommodation arsenic quality shields successful guidance to President Trump's threat to swipe retired its power 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 aliases civilians will dramatically sway U.S. nationalist sentiment against nan warfare and create a rally-round-the-regime effect successful Tehran.

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

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A advertisement showing a image of nan precocious Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed successful U.S.-Israeli strikes, looms complete an quiet 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 nan theocratic state’s exploitation of civilians for their warfare purpose is portion and parcel of their astir half-century playbook against nan West. "The Islamic Republic is nan Godfather of propaganda. It has spent 47 years perfecting nan creation of saying 1 point astatine nan negotiating array and doing different successful nan field. The Trump management should locomotion into these talks pinch maximum skepticism. This authorities has ne'er kept its connection connected its weapons, and there's nary logic to judge this clip is different."

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

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

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

Speaking to Fox News Digital past month, Iranian-American journalist Banafsheh Zand, who has been pursuing nan reporting, pointed to nan truth that nan schoolhouse that has been location for much than a decade and its reported affiliation pinch Iran’s military. She said that while nan authorities claims betwixt 168 fatalities and 180 fatalities, mostly girls betwixt nan ages of 7 and 12, on pinch teachers and parents from nan school, location has been nary independent confirmation of nan reported casualty figures. 

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"There is nary confirmation connected nan number of people, from anyone different than authorities sources," she said. "Some group successful nan area 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 pinch 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 nan media

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

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

He said, "Like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran uses civilians arsenic quality shields for propaganda purposes. It cares thing for nan information and destiny of its ain people. It wants to represent nan state arsenic undaunted and consenting to sacrifice for victory. And if civilians are killed, each nan amended for nan regime's governmental goals… Iran wants to undermine U.S. home support for nan 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 nan Middle East."

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

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

Iranians stitchery while 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 nan war, it besides wants to delegitimize protesters and different soul guidance by depicting them arsenic American and Israeli agents. It tin beryllium expected to ramp up each of these propaganda efforts during nan ceasefire. The United States and our partners will beryllium portion of this intended audience, too."

Using children successful war

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

Erika Guevara-Rosas, elder head for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, for Amnesty stated successful nan study that, "The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children arsenic young arsenic 12 to subordinate an IRGC tally subject campaign, putting them successful sedate threat and violating international law, which prohibits nan recruitment and usage of children successful nan military. Recruiting children nether 15 into nan 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 nan 47th day of nan triumph of Iran's Islamic Revolution astatine nan shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini successful nan 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 opportunity nan remnant of nan authorities can’t muster capable quality shields to beryllium doing it each complete nan place.  The group are excessively resistant.  Protests continued successful nan state nan past mates of days, and immoderate reporting connected societal media indicated a crackdown by nan Basij connected protesters aft nan 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 nan authorities launched a  recruitment run called nan "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 nan paramilitary statement Basij. The recruitment run sought adolescents to subordinate "combatants defending nan homeland."

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