From Reza Shah to 2026: Narrative Power and the Geopolitics of Iran
Pic Courtesy: IOR/L/PS/12/3518, British Library The crisis in Iran is unfolding on two fronts simultaneously: a politico-military now, and an informational one. Both are fiercely contested, and neither can be understood without the other. On one front, mass protests have swept dozens of cities in Iran since late 2025, driven by economic hardship and political dissatisfaction. Reports of massacres in Rasht and Fardis, mass arrests and killings , and a nationwide internet shutdown have drawn intense international scrutiny. Western media has largely framed these events through the lens of regime fragility and imminent collapse, while critics note a heavy dependence on diaspora organisations and advocacy groups with alleged links to Israel as primary sources. This raises pointed questions about whose version of events reaches global audiences. On the other front, military strikes by the United States and Israel have generated a pa...
