'They lie just like the regime': Iranian opposition anger grows over US, Israel strikes on civilian infrastructure
Analysis Summary
This article persuades readers by highlighting the anger and fear of Iranians concerning foreign intervention, particularly from the U.S. and Israel. It uses emotional appeals and loaded language to suggest that these interventions are counterproductive, cause widespread suffering, and risk leaving Iran in ruins, thereby urging caution or opposition to such actions.
Cross-Outlet PSYOP Detected
This article is part of a narrative being pushed across multiple outlets:
FATE Analysis
Four dimensions of psychological manipulation: how content captures Focus, exploits Authority, triggers Tribal identity, and engineers Emotion.
Focus signals
"Many Iranians who once hoped foreign intervention would topple the regime now voice anger and fear after weeks of strikes, saying attacks on infrastructure and civilian areas risk leaving a ruined country"
This frames the current sentiment as a significant shift from previous hopes, highlighting a new and potentially alarming development.
"Two weeks into the war, however, many Iranians who spoke to foreign media say that hope has turned into frustration and anger."
The 'however' and the stark contrast between previous hope and current frustration serves to immediately draw and hold the reader's attention to this shift in perception about the conflict.
Authority signals
"According to a sociologist in Tehran, the war may be producing the opposite of what some outside observers expected."
The article introduces an unnamed 'sociologist in Tehran' to lend academic credibility to its claim about rising nationalism, subtly leveraging expertise without providing specific credentials.
"Mandana, a Tehran resident who spoke to the Financial Times, said she once believed..."
By stating that residents spoke to 'The Guardian,' 'Financial Times,' and 'BBC,' the article implicitly leverages the perceived credibility and reach of these established news organizations to authenticate the quotes and narrative.
Tribe signals
"“They are liars too, just like the regime lies to us,” Amir, a student in Tehran, told The Guardian. “Each of you is worse than the other,” he said of the United States and Israel."
This quote creates a 'us' (ordinary Iranians) versus 'them' (US/Israel and the Iranian regime) dynamic, highlighting how some Iranians feel victimized by both sides.
"“The fear of Iran’s destruction is uniting more and more people who are worried about the consequences of a large-scale conflict,” he added."
The sociologist's quote suggests a growing, unifying sentiment among Iranians driven by fear, framing 'more and more people' as sharing this outlook.
Emotion signals
"Many Iranians who once hoped foreign intervention would topple the regime now voice anger and fear after weeks of strikes, saying attacks on infrastructure and civilian areas risk leaving a ruined country"
The article immediately sets a tone of fear regarding the destruction of their country, which is then amplified throughout.
"Other Iranians expressed outrage over damage to historical sites and cultural landmarks reported in cities such as Tehran and Isfahan."
This directly states an emotional response of 'outrage' among interviewees, implicitly inviting the reader to share in that outrage over cultural heritage destruction.
"“If things continue like this, we will be in a worse situation than before the war,” she said. “A destroyed country, and Khamenei replaced by another Khamenei who is 30 years younger.”"
This quote from a translator directly evokes fear of a worse future: a 'destroyed country' and a perpetuated oppressive regime, designed to create anxiety in the reader about the potential outcome of the conflict.
"Mandana... said she initially believed historic change might be underway. But the experience of living through weeks of airstrikes has shattered that optimism. “They weren’t supposed to bomb us,” she said, her voice shaking after a powerful explosion near her home in Tehran."
This passage describes an initial high (optimism/hope for change) followed by a sharp low (shattered optimism, fear, and a 'shaking voice' due to explosions), creating an emotional roller coaster through personal narrative.
"“The fear of Iran’s destruction is uniting more and more people who are worried about the consequences of a large-scale conflict,”"
This quote explicitly identifies and reinforces 'fear' as a primary motivator and unifier among Iranians, projecting this pervasive emotion to the reader.
Narrative Analysis (PCP)
How the article reshapes thinking: Perception (what beliefs are targeted), Context (what information is shifted or omitted), and Permission (what behavior is being encouraged).
The article aims to instill the belief that foreign intervention, particularly from the U.S. and Israel, in Iran is counterproductive, destructive, and ultimately harms the Iranian people, potentially strengthening the regime rather than weakening it. It seeks to establish that military action creates widespread suffering and risks a ruined country.
The article shifts the context of international involvement from one of supporting dissidents and challenging an oppressive regime to one primarily focused on the catastrophic impact of military strikes on civilian lives and infrastructure. This makes the conclusion that intervention is harmful feel natural by focusing solely on the negative consequences for the general populace.
The article largely omits detailed context regarding the motivations or specific targets of the strikes beyond 'infrastructure and civilian areas,' and does not thoroughly explore the regime's actions and policies that initially led some Iranians to desire foreign intervention. It focuses on the impact without fully revisiting the catalysts for interventionist hopes, which would provide a more balanced view of why interventions were initially desired.
The reader is nudged towards skepticism, opposition, or at least extreme caution regarding foreign military intervention in Iran, and potentially a general anti-war stance regarding such conflicts. It encourages empathy for the Iranian populace suffering from the strikes and discourages support for military action against the regime.
SMRP Pattern
Four manipulation maintenance tactics: Socializing the idea as normal, Minimizing concerns, Rationalizing with logic, and Projecting blame.
Red Flags
High-severity indicators: silencing dissent, coordinated messaging, or weaponizing identity to shut down debate.
Techniques Found(7)
Specific propaganda techniques identified using the SemEval-2023 academic taxonomy of 23 techniques across 6 categories.
"Opponents of the regime say they are also closely following reports of civilian casualties from Israeli and U.S. strikes, including the deaths of children."
This quote uses the emotional impact of 'deaths of children' to evoke a strong negative reaction and sway opinion against the strikes and those conducting them, by highlighting the devastating consequences for the most vulnerable.
"Some regime critics also fear Iran could follow the path of Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, which promised freedom but eventually led to years of violence and civil war."
This statement appeals to existing fears and historical prejudices by drawing a parallel to the negative outcome of the Iraq War, suggesting a similar disastrous fate for Iran to discourage intervention.
"Images of destruction in Tehran, including damaged schools, desalination facilities, passenger aircraft and historic sites, have shocked many Iranians."
While destruction can be shocking, the phrase 'shocked many Iranians' likely exaggerates the collective emotional response to amplify the perceived negative impact of the attacks.
"A destroyed country, and Khamenei replaced by another Khamenei who is 30 years younger.”"
The phrase 'A destroyed country' is emotionally charged and paints a bleak, absolute picture of the future, intensifying fears about the conflict's outcome.
"“They weren’t supposed to bomb us,” she said, her voice shaking after a powerful explosion near her home in Tehran."
The phrase 'bomb us' carries a strong negative connotation of indiscriminate violence against civilians, enhancing the emotional impact and framing the actions as unjust.
"the war may be producing the opposite of what some outside observers expected."
The term 'some outside observers' is vague. It doesn't specify who these observers are or what exactly they expected, which makes it challenging to verify the claim and creates an undefined 'other' to contrast with the article's narrative.
"Instead of fueling rebellion, the conflict is strengthening a sense of national unity.“There is growing evidence of rising nationalism driven by the war,” the sociologist said, comparing it to earlier conflicts when Iranians rallied around the state despite internal dissatisfaction.“The fear of Iran’s destruction is uniting more and more people who are worried about the consequences of a large-scale conflict,” he added."
This passage describes how the war is fostering 'national unity' and 'rising nationalism' due to 'the fear of Iran's destruction.' This plays on the sense of national pride and identity, suggesting that the population is rallying together against an external threat.