Security
Europol dismantles IRGC propaganda machine
European authorities dismantled a sprawling IRGC-linked propaganda network that manipulated social media users, spread extremist messaging, and fueled political division across Western societies.
![A close-up shows a smartphone displaying several social media applications, October 7, 2023. [Indra Projects/Pexels]](/gc3/images/2026/06/01/56287-pexels-indraprojectsofficial-18663994-370_237.webp)
By Pishtaz |
European security services dismantled a massive online propaganda network linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), exposing an aggressive multinational influence operation.
The Europol-led crackdown removed more than 14,200 posts, accounts, and internet links tied to coordinated extremist propaganda activities across multiple jurisdictions.
Law enforcement agencies from 19 countries targeted digital infrastructure allegedly used for ideological indoctrination, recruitment operations, and illicit fundraising connected to the IRGC.
Investigators said the network operated through social media platforms, streaming services, blogs, and multilingual websites targeting audiences throughout Europe and North America.
Authorities restricted the IRGC’s primary X account within the European Union after the bloc formally designated the organization as a terrorist entity earlier this year.
The investigation exposed sophisticated digital manipulation tactics designed to disguise state-backed propaganda as authentic grassroots political discussion among ordinary Western citizens.
According to Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub, IRGC-linked accounts impersonated residents from Texas, California, Scotland, England, and Ireland while amplifying divisive political narratives.
Researchers identified coordinated activity across Instagram, X, and BlueSky, revealing how propagandists exploited multiple platforms simultaneously to evade moderation enforcement efforts.
European investigators also uncovered AI-generated videos glorifying the IRGC and extremist messaging disguised through emotionally charged religious martyrdom narratives targeting vulnerable audiences.
Officials further identified cryptocurrency transactions allegedly used to finance online propaganda operations while bypassing sanctions restrictions and conventional financial monitoring systems.
The operation intensified growing European concerns that hostile state-backed propaganda networks increasingly function as sophisticated transnational recruitment and influence operations targeting democratic societies.