{"id":28105,"date":"2026-01-05T19:29:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/?p=28105"},"modified":"2026-01-05T19:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:29:49","slug":"iranian-medias-global-narrative-shaping-reach-acknowledged-by-israeli-think-tanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/iranian-medias-global-narrative-shaping-reach-acknowledged-by-israeli-think-tanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian media\u2019s global, narrative-shaping reach \u2013 acknowledged by Israeli \u2018think tanks\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sheida Eslami<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIran, with dozens of multilingual networks \u2013 from English and Spanish to Arabic and Hausa \u2013 exerts influence across the world, and even under financial pressure, there will be no shortage of money for these activities.\u00a0Press TV, Al-Alam, HispanTV,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0HausaTV<\/em>\u00a0are Iran\u2019s instruments of influence on the global community \u2013 so much so that Britain and Germany consider them tools used by Tehran to shape public opinion.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the words of Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iran section in Israeli military intelligence (Aman), spoken in a Hebrew-language media interview conducted after the publication of his recent written report at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), which shows that the institution backing him, even after issuing that official report, is still explaining and justifying why the Zionist regime has failed to contain Iran\u2019s soft power.<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz\u2019s new verbal admission \u2013 continuing the line of his INSS report \u2013 emphasizes clearly that under any circumstances, Iran will never stop trying to preserve and maintain its overseas networks, because the very essence of the Islamic Republic\u2019s media strategy is a presence in global societies and breaking the barrier of monopoly, boycott, and media censorship \u2013 the very reality that Tel Aviv fears more than anything else.<\/p>\n

The publication of Citrinowicz\u2019s recent article about the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting\u2019s (IRIB) overseas media networks is, in fact, a sign of cognitive anxiety and strategic fear within the Zionist regime toward the expansion of Iran\u2019s soft power and growing cultural influence.<\/p>\n

And when we place all his recent remarks and writings next to the\u00a0Press TV<\/em>\u00a0report broadcasts \u2013 showing European demonstrators expressing affection and positive sentiments toward the respected Iranian news channel during a pro-Palestine rally aired a few days ago \u2013 the reason for his outspoken insistence on sensitizing Zionist-aligned structures in Western countries, especially the United States, against Iran\u2019s English-language network, becomes even clearer.<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz, now a senior researcher in the \u201cIran and the Shia Axis Program\u201d at the INSS and a former 25-year commander in various sectors of the Israeli military intelligence, including as head of the Iran section in the Research and Analysis Division (RAD), and also as RAD\u2019s representative in the United States, admits in his report, albeit wrapped in cautious wording but unmistakably, that Iran\u2019s media structure has expanded far beyond a normal state broadcaster and has become a global, discourse-producing organization resistant to Western narrative hegemony.<\/p>\n

This admission is, in fact, confirmation of the very strengths that have made IRIB a cultural and civilizational asset for the Islamic Republic: at home, a source of social cohesion; abroad, a respected platform among independent nations and awakened, justice-seeking consciences.<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz provides several metrics, reflecting Israel\u2019s fear of Iran, which, upon examination, confirm that Iran\u2019s overseas media networks are not a threat to the global order but a manifestation of a native media power rooted in cultural authenticity, political independence, and civilizational mission.<\/p>\n

Before examining those metrics, a review of the longstanding hostility toward Iran\u2019s international media networks, such as\u00a0Press TV,<\/em>\u00a0will clarify the matter further.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u270d\ufe0f Feature – Press TV\u2019s newly-launched Hebrew service sparks buzz and unease in Israeli media circles\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/lNcZ0rxsPx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Press TV \ud83d\udd3b (@PressTV)\u00a0December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The enemy\u2019s narrative of the Iranian media<\/strong><\/p>\n

To understand the true extent of the influence of the Islamic Republic\u2019s overseas media networks, one only needs to turn to the \u201cenemy\u2019s narrative\u201d \u2013 where security-intel agencies, Zionist lobbies, and Western military institutions describe Iranian media not as a news network but as a \u201cstrategic threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

From INSS to ADL and others, they all converge on one point: acknowledgment of Iran\u2019s soft power.<\/p>\n

The ADL and the Center for Countering Digital Hate released a detailed report in April 2023 titled \u2018State Hate\u2019, describing\u00a0Press TV<\/em>\u00a0as \u201ca state-sponsored hate operation of the Islamic Republic\u201d and accusing it of creating \u201ca counter-mainstream narrative\u201d in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

This report introduced the Iranian network as an agent \u201cshaping Western societal perception\u201d \u2013 precisely the phenomenon Israel fears most: perception change.<\/p>\n

The ADL\u2019s 2024 report on\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0similarly reflected this fear, labeling Iran\u2019s Spanish-language channel as \u201ca projector of anti-imperialist views across Latin America,\u201d and calling Iran\u2019s growing presence in the Latin American information sphere \u2013 powered largely by\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cthreatening.\u201d<\/p>\n

This tone is, in fact, a reversed image of what\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0has actually done for years in Latin America: giving voice to the Global South against Western imperialism.<\/p>\n

In the same vein, the BBC, in its official report on the US seizure of\u00a0Press TV\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Al-Alam.com<\/em>\u00a0domains, openly validated the American view by writing that these media outlets are considered \u201cmalign influence operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet the truth remains: wherever a media outlet amplifies the voice of the Global South, the West labels it \u201cmalign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Add to this the June 2024 Latinoam\u00e9rica21 analysis calling\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0\u201cIran\u2019s voice in Latin America\u201d \u2013 the same reality recognized by Latin Americans themselves: Iran\u2019s role in building the Global South and a new media landscape.<\/p>\n

When these Western sources and their Zionist-influenced attempts to restrict Iran\u2019s international media are viewed collectively, one truth becomes undeniable: Iranian media has become so influential that the enemy is forced to label it a security threat.<\/p>\n

This admission is the most valuable certificate of credibility for the Islamic Republic\u2019s overseas networks.<\/p>\n

Glass or steel? That is the question<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the lines of Citrinowicz\u2019s article, on which this article mainly focuses, the first indicator of the effectiveness of Iran\u2019s broadcasting organization (IRIB) must be sought in the nature of the Israeli regime\u2019s \u201cconcern.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Tel Aviv\u2019s strategic frame, only those actors are considered threats that can alter public perception in target countries in ways that challenge their policymaking structures.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the mention of networks such as\u00a0Press TV, Al-Alam,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0in Israel\u2019s military and analytical documents is actually evidence of their success; for if they were ineffective or weak, they would not attract attention.<\/p>\n

This security reaction to Iran\u2019s national media is a sign of its cultural penetration; for a media outlet only becomes a security threat when it successfully embeds a rival narrative in public opinion, a narrative that opposes Israel\u2019s destructive policies.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s visible agitation over the activities and influence of networks like\u00a0HispanTV\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Press TV<\/em>\u00a0indicates that Iran has succeeded in engaging transnational audiences, particularly in environments once monopolized by Western media, with content centered on justice and anti-colonial values.<\/p>\n

From this angle, when Citrinowicz writes in his article: \u201cThe Israeli Air Force\u2019s June 16 strike on the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting was primarily aimed at reducing the regime\u2019s ability to communicate with its people, thereby impacting its command access and political stability. Simultaneously, the attack exposed another importance of IRIB in Tehran: disseminating Iran\u2019s messages and propaganda globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, the June 16, 2025 (Khordad 26, 1404) Israeli military strike on IRIB\u2019s news building must be seen not merely as a military act but as the reflection of a psychological defeat.<\/p>\n

The goal of the June 16 strike was to silence a voice that not only unified the Iranian nation domestically but also in the chaotic Western-Zionist media environment, presented independent meaning and direction, projecting an image of a determined, resilient, and powerful Iran.<\/p>\n

A media institution targeted and attacked by the adversaries of the Islamic Republic in unified, coordinated attempts, yet whose undeniable importance and position even Zionist research structures cannot avoid acknowledging \u2013 and which, at historic turning points such as war, reaffirms its authority on an international scale.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Press TV anniversary: 17 years of being the voice of the voiceless.<\/p>\n

Follow us on Telegram:\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/GKZwI4ePgj<\/a>\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/UL5R1rhpHk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Press TV \ud83d\udd3b (@PressTV)\u00a0July 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Iran\u2019s media architecture: From localization to globalization<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Zionist author\u2019s report, IRIB\u2019s media operations in more than 30 languages have created a network that carries Iran\u2019s voice beyond the invisible walls of the Western-Hebrew axis.<\/p>\n

This multilingualism represents Iran\u2019s response to the genuine need of the non-Western world to be represented through an alternative media mirror and represents recognition of Iran as a symbol of resistance.<\/p>\n

Networks like\u00a0HispanTV<\/em>\u00a0in Latin America,\u00a0Hausa<\/em>\u00a0in Africa, and\u00a0Al-Alam<\/em>\u00a0in the Arab world have, in practice, filled a media vacuum in countries that for decades were silent within the orbit of Western information \u2013 and now can, alongside Iran, take pride in a third collective identity: neither dominator nor dominated, but resilient and empowered.<\/p>\n

IRIB\u2019s cultural diplomacy relies on horizontal connections among nations and civilizational dialogue, not unilateral value transmission. Thus, the success of Iran\u2019s overseas media networks must be assessed by their ability to establish dialogue, not through tools of domination or propaganda, something that only reinforces their authenticity.<\/p>\n

Multi-layered broadcasting: From radio channels to digital platforms<\/strong><\/p>\n

In one part of the INSS report, the author criticizes Iranian networks\u2019 presence on platforms like Telegram, YouTube, and other social media, calling for their shutdown. This demand is further evidence of IRIB\u2019s technical capability and structural adaptation to the modern media ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The reality is that IRIB\u2019s overseas media division, or the world service, has long expanded its message delivery beyond linear or broadcast-only formats into simultaneous digital distribution. Thus, even when satellites or official networks are restricted, global audiences still access Iranian content through alternative channels.<\/p>\n

This is not merely a survival tactic; in the context of sanctions and Western restrictions, it is a demonstration of Iran\u2019s technological capacity under embargo \u2013 a capacity that even major, well-funded global networks depend on to maintain worldwide audiences.<\/p>\n

In Iran, however, it has become a symbol of power, superiority, and resilience \u2013 something even Citrinowicz acknowledges.<\/p>\n

Iran and inter-religious dialogue among nations of resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of Citrinowicz\u2019s concerns is Iran\u2019s effort to influence Sunni communities and reduce hostilities through rapprochement projects. This part, although written with security suspicion, is the most accurate admission of IRIB\u2019s trans-ideological character.<\/p>\n

Iran is not pursuing sectarian polarization; it seeks civilizational dialogue and Islamic unity. If Iran\u2019s message were sectarian \u2013 as Citrinowicz seems to imply \u2013 it would not resonate across the resistance axis, much of which is Sunni.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s networks have consistently emphasized shared principles of justice, rights, and resistance against domination, not sectarian difference.<\/p>\n

IRIB\u2019s coverage of Palestinian resistance and the struggles of other peoples in the region, regardless of sect and ideology, stems from this moral and human unity \u2013 a universal ethical system expressed through cultural and religious language and widely accepted.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Zionist<\/a><\/p>\n
Zionist lobby group ADL’s smear campaign against Iran, Press TV in vain<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Islamic Republic of Iran and its international media network Press TV have for years been the victims of the US-based Zionist lobby group ADL\u2019s smear campaign, but all in vain.<\/a><\/div>\n

Narrative continuity and coordination among networks<\/strong><\/p>\n

One distinctive feature of IRIB\u2019s world service is its narrative coherence among networks. INSS describes this as \u201cmutual reinforcement of narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz portrays this as an organized conspiracy to provoke Zionist-aligned structures around the world into acting against Iran and IRIB.<\/p>\n

But in reality, this is a professional media plan in which a unified message is conveyed in various languages suitable for different audiences, precisely what global networks like BBC World or DW also do, though for different purposes.<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz deliberately conceals this universal media practice to frame Iran as a danger, hoping to push his intended audience toward stricter counter-measures against IRIB, especially its world service, as though this kind of media operation descended from the sky.<\/p>\n

The coordination between\u00a0Press TV, HispanTV,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Al-Alam<\/em>\u00a0is not politically dictated; it is the result of carefully organized work in the IRIB world service, rooted in the need for cross-linguistic connection in intercultural communication.<\/p>\n

The goal is to transmit concepts of justice and truth beyond linguistic molds.<\/p>\n

These networks are architects of a \u201cthird media world\u201d \u2013 a world based on a third path: independence, justice, and South-South dialogue. In this architecture, each language becomes a cultural anchor and each region a ray of the network of communicative justice.<\/p>\n

Civilizational function of media as the collective memory of nations<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a civilizational perspective, the media is not just a tool for transmitting messages; it is the collective memory of people. IRIB, through its international networks, has recorded and globalized the memory of resistance across countries.<\/p>\n

In Latin America,\u00a0HispanTV\u00a0<\/em>narrates anti-imperialist struggles from a Southern viewpoint; in Africa,\u00a0HausaTV<\/em>\u00a0reflects the historical voice of anti-colonial movements; in the Arab world,\u00a0Al-Alam<\/em>\u00a0TV<\/em>\u00a0documents the voice of Palestine and the resistance axis, while also enabling these regions\u2019 own local voices to be heard.<\/p>\n

This process reconstructs global identity based on communicative justice, giving marginalized cultures the ability to be seen.<\/p>\n

Thus, Iran\u2019s soft power is deeply intertwined with the ethical function of media, this moral dimension being the primary reason for its appeal among non-Iranian audiences.<\/p>\n

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\u270d\ufe0f Viewpoint – Behind the veil: Australia\u2019s latest move against Press TV designed to control the narrative<\/p>\n

By\u00a0@Sheydaeslami<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/ZxMKhpUR5r<\/a>\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/8vbuXctTFf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Press TV \ud83d\udd3b (@PressTV)\u00a0November 25, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Sanctions and IRIB\u2019s resilience under pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is now clear that the entire American and allied sanctions against IRIB and its overseas networks have failed to limit their reach or hinder their content development.<\/p>\n

The world service of the Iranian state broadcaster has sourced its content from domestic and independent inputs, and this level of content self-sufficiency is extraordinary in today\u2019s global media environment \u2013 showing that IRIB has become a \u2018self-generated model\u2019 in global communications.<\/p>\n

In the logic of sanctions, the goal is to paralyze communication flows. But IRIB has demonstrated technological capability and self-reliance under maximum pressure.<\/p>\n

The continued presence of Iranian networks on global platforms, even under filtering and content removal, shows the institutional adaptability that links domestic resources with global structures.<\/p>\n

For Israel, this technological agility, especially given that Iran\u2019s overseas media budget is modest, is threatening. But from a communications perspective, it is an institutional success in the post-platform era, where power lies not in satellite monopolies but in the continuous flow of meaning in a networked environment.<\/p>\n

Thus, the sustained activity of these networks amid political and economic pressure is concrete evidence of the cognitive resilience of Iran\u2019s media system.<\/p>\n

Israel fears this resilience precisely: in a borderless digital world, silencing dissenting voices no longer works. This worry is itself the best proof of the technological ability and structural adaptation of Iran\u2019s national media to the new communication ecosystem.<\/p>\n

INSS report a sign\u00a0of Iran\u2019s media success<\/strong><\/p>\n

The analytical perspective presented in the INSS report reflects all the indicators of the Zionist regime\u2019s concern \u2013 each of which is, in fact, an indicator of Iran\u2019s media success: multilingual expansion, narrative synergy, and advanced cultural diplomacy.<\/p>\n

IRIB has elevated the concept of soft power from a governmental tool to a civilizational mission, carrying messages of humanity, justice, independence, and ethical communication.<\/p>\n

With scientific design, advanced technology, and reliance on global intellectual capacity, Iran\u2019s overseas networks have built a non-Western intercultural communication system that has become an alternative reference point against hegemonic media.<\/p>\n

Citrinowicz\u2019s report and the entire INSS framework, though outwardly framed as a warning, contain \u2018a series of confessions\u2019 \u2013 confessions of the failure of Western and Zionist narratives in the face of Iran\u2019s hugely successful soft power.<\/p>\n

IRIB and its world service \u2013 with reliance on local languages, native experts, and the geometry of justice-oriented meaning \u2013 have raised soft power from political propaganda to an ethical and civilizational duty. In today\u2019s world, where geography dissolves within the digital realm, only the media that can \u2018create meaning\u2019 endures \u2013 not the one that merely sells content.<\/p>\n

And today, conscious people across Latin America, the West Asia, and Africa draw meaning from Iran \u2013 from the very voice Tel Aviv fears: the voice of truth, justice, and resilient humanity.<\/p>\n

Sheida Islami<\/strong>\u00a0is a Tehran-based writer, media advisor and cultural critic.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sheida Eslami \u201cIran, with dozens of multilingual networks \u2013 from English and Spanish to Arabic and Hausa \u2013 exerts influence across the world, and even under financial pressure, there will be no shortage of money for these activities.\u00a0Press TV, Al-Alam, HispanTV,\u00a0and\u00a0HausaTV\u00a0are Iran\u2019s instruments of influence on the global community \u2013 so much so that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":28106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28107,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28105\/revisions\/28107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wilayah.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}