Iranians upset with Tehran over tensions in Israel – DW – 26/10/2024

In the wake of Israeli military attacks on Iranian targets early Saturday morning, many people in Iran are turning to social media to express their frustration and try to understand what is happening.

Israel has carried out airstrikes against military targets in Iran, carrying out dawn airstrikes in retaliation for a barrage of ballistic missiles that the Islamic Republic fired at Israel earlier this month.

With the country already in economic turmoil due to the collapse of the national currency and skyrocketing inflation, many Iranians are increasingly questioning the government’s priorities, feeling the weight of a regime that appears more focused on foreign conflicts than on addressing pressing needs at home .

This disconnect between official narratives and public sentiment could have far-reaching consequences for Iran’s internal stability should tensions escalate on the military front.

Censorship steps in

Iran is “one of the most repressive countries in the world in terms of press freedom,” say Reporters Without Borders.

Strict censorship was visible in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli attacks, and Iranian state media initially remained silent about the attacks.

This was in sharp contrast to the dynamic social media activity in the country, where people used VPNs to bypass online restrictions to share videos of bright lights in the sky and loud sounds on platforms such as Telegram and X.

At the same time, accounts linked to Iran’s intelligence and security apparatus warned on social media that sharing photos with foreign media could be considered espionage.

Ultimately, some official Iranian news sources admitted that the attack had taken place, but claimed that Iranian defenses had successfully intercepted the attacks.

State-backed media and social channels continue to downplay the seriousness of the attack. For example, telegram channels linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shared photos of crowded squares in central Tehran on Saturday morning, claiming that nothing significant had happened.

Several government-linked journalists also broadcast from busy public areas in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday, assuring that life was continuing as normal.

A journalist from Tehran, whose name is not being published by DW for security reasons, told DW on Saturday that “nothing can be written.”

“The media does not have the courage to write anything beyond the official position. “Journalists are prohibited from posting on their personal social media pages,” they wrote in a message.

I am looking for information from outside Iran

Babak Dorbeiki, former adviser and head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Culture under Hassan Rouhani, criticized restrictions imposed on independent media after Israel’s attack.

“The way state media handle news during crises shows persistent weaknesses, marked by confusion and lack of coordination,” he told DW from London, where he now lives.

As Iranians usually do in an unstable situation, they look for information from Persian-language media based outside the country and from Iranian journalists operating in X.

Many people on social media expressed anger at the government, asking why they were not informed about the attacks and asked for shelter. They also expressed concerns about the lack of shelters as the country is likely to move closer to war.

People also showed their frustration with the Islamic Republic’s leadership, with some attributing the escalation of the military conflict with Israel to the reckless pursuit of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s state armed forces tasked with defending the revolutionary regime.

Anti-Semitic propaganda failed

According to an analysis by the joint news service IranWire“In September, the number of anti-Semitic hate speeches on Persian social media channels and websites totaled approximately 61,000 posts.” This means an increase of 98% compared to August, IranWire foundand official and semi-official channels “have taken the lead in disseminating this anti-Semitic material.”

However, the government’s efforts to stoke anti-Israel and general anti-Semitic sentiment have not sparked anti-Israel protests in Iran – even as Arab countries have witnessed mass demonstrations against Israel since it went to war with Hamas in Gazaina in response to the October 7 terrorist attack.

But as historian Arash Azizi, a visiting fellow at New York University who studies Iran, wrote Atlantic“the people of Iran do not want to experience war with Israel… (and) harbor very little hostility towards Israel.”

Indeed, social media reactions after Saturday’s strike also suggest that many Iranians do not want conflict with Israel amid fears of a regional war breaking out.

In fact, opposition activists fear that an entire war with Israel could make life even worse for Iranians.

“The reality is that the war is leading to increased repression and pressure on dissidents, which does not contribute to democracy in Iran,” Nazila Golestan, a Paris-based opposition activist to the Iranian government, told DW.

Economic turmoil is expected to intensify

Iran’s economy is already in serious turmoil amid tensions with Israel and concerns about regional war. Iran’s local currency, the rial, fell to an unprecedented low against the dollar earlier this week, with the inflation rate rising 33% over the past year, according to official data.

Meanwhile, investors are quickly moving to liquidate their assets on the Tehran Stock Exchange, leading to a halt in large transactions as many await the outcome of these conflicts.

Markets are bracing for further gains if hostilities with Israel intensify and prices are expected to rise sharply.

Many Iranians increasingly link their country’s economic decline with the government’s financial support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Citizens express frustration that resources are being devoted to foreign conflicts while domestic needs are not met. As everyday life becomes increasingly unsustainable due to rising prices and inflation, there is a growing sense that government priorities are misplaced, fueling public anger and calls for accountability.

“Even if the war does not escalate, the depreciation of the rial against the dollar will continue,” said Alireza Salavati, an economic analyst based in London. “Additionally, the price of gold is also expected to increase. “These issues are linked to increased liquidity, sanctions and the psychological impact of the Iran-Israeli conflict.”

Edited by Kate Hairsine and Andreas Illmer