Clemson University Report on IRGC Social Media Campaign

A recent study from Clemson University has revealed that numerous social media accounts linked to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are disseminating anti-Israel and anti-US messages to fuel online discord amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US.

The report, released on Wednesday, indicates that platforms like X, Bluesky, and over 62 Instagram accounts were tied to the IRGC. These accounts falsely claimed to originate from locations such as the Americas, England, Scotland, or Ireland.

While most of these accounts are relatively new, some date back to December 2023.

According to the report, “All of these accounts systematically amplify politically divisive content and disinformation in line with the Revolutionary Guards’ narrative, aiming to exploit regional tensions to further the Iranian regime’s objectives.”

Prior to military actions by President Trump and Israel against Iran, many of these accounts concentrated on internal divisions within Iran. However, following the unexpected airstrikes by Israel and the US on February 28, they shifted to promoting a pro-Tehran perspective supportive of the Iranian government.

The report emphasizes that “there is a coordinated fake social media campaign targeting online discourse regarding the war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.”

Moreover, these accounts utilized various AI-generated images and fabricated videos to spread misleading information about the ongoing strikes.

Clemson’s findings included 47 accounts on X, nine on Instagram, and five on Bluesky linked to the IRGC’s activities. One particular account on X produced over 59,000 original posts that garnered extensive engagement, suggesting a vast outreach potentially reaching millions.

In response to the report, Bluesky confirmed that all the described accounts had been removed for violating community guidelines. A Meta spokesperson reaffirmed the company’s enforcement against terrorism-related content, noting that a third of the reported accounts were inactive during the conflict and the others collectively had fewer than 2,000 followers.

The spokesperson added, “Meta prohibits individuals and organizations involved in organized fraud and terrorism, and we remove violating accounts as soon as we discover them.”

The report concludes that continuous monitoring of communities at risk from foreign influence is crucial, especially in times of global crisis.