Posted on 04/03/2026 7:16:13 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
Iranian state television has escalated its messaging by warning citizens not to reveal the locations of officials hiding among civilians, while increasingly portraying dissent as hostile action and labeling protesters “enemy combatants.”
As the regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States escalates, Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), has undergone a marked transformation in tone and language.
Once associated with rigid but largely diplomatic messaging, IRIB now frequently adopts rhetoric that is overtly confrontational, reflecting both wartime pressures and an effort by authorities to project defiance amid mounting military strain.
In a segment of a program on Iran’s state broadcaster, presenter Mohammad Jafar Khosravi acknowledged that officials are hiding in safe houses among ordinary citizens and urged the public not to reveal their locations, warning that otherwise they would be “finished” and targeted.
One of the clearest examples of the belligerent rhetoric emerged in the early days of the war, when Police Commander Ahmad Reza Radan addressed unrest linked to the war. Speaking on state television, he warned that anyone protesting “at the will of the enemy” would no longer be treated as a civilian but as an “enemy combatant,” signaling a sharp escalation in how the state frames internal dissent.
Alongside this shift, dehumanizing language toward foreign adversaries has become increasingly common. Following intensified strikes in late February, IRIB hosts and commentators repeatedly described Israeli officials as “rabid dogs,” portraying them as threats that must be eliminated.
Foreign-based Persian-language outlets were also targeted, with Iran International labeled a “satanic network” and its regional offices described as “legitimate military targets.”
The rhetoric has been accompanied by a growing dismissal of international legal norms. On multiple Press TV programs in March, officials and state-aligned analysts argued that institutions such as the United Nations and international humanitarian law serve Western interests.
Some suggested that commercial vessels, banks, and private companies linked to “belligerent nations” could be treated as military targets, rejecting long-standing principles of civilian protection.
The escalation in tone extends beyond broadcast television. On social media platform X, IRIB presenters have engaged in increasingly personal exchanges with Israeli officials.
Figures such as Ameneh Saadat Zabihpour and Ali Rezvani, both sanctioned by the United States in 2022 as "Interrogator Journalists", have traded insults with Israeli spokespersons, with some interactions descending into personal attacks, religious provocation, and inflammatory rhetoric.
You can avoid the danger of collateral damage by handling these jihadis yourselves, you know?
Benito Mussolini, his girlfriend and staff hanging from a bridge pier. Note that there are no craters, no rubble, no collateral damage.
There are somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 Starlink systems in Iran. The jammer trucks met the business end of ARMs.
Such an issue that Iran has decided to declare war on Elon Musk:
Iran declares Starlink ‘legitimate target’ as internet blackout enters second month
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4373392/posts
I would think the muslim leaders would care not if they were killed in jihad. It’s the only certain way they can get to paradise. Further it is Allah’s will they be taken out that way.
Whatever you do, don’t point out the location of the people who ordered your relatives to be shot.
My thoughts exactly... They still have television service? Maybe a few more bombing runs are in order.
Same here.
I know.
IRIB international shortwave service, which has (or had) ten 500kW transmitters, is apparently down to just one now. So there’s that. Hopefully it survives as enemy propaganda can contain useful info.
They have to keep broadcasting TV shows to placate the public and keep them from looking out their windows and seeing the truth.
It worked here during Covid
I wish the military would spray on bacon meat and pork smell to every bomb that is dropped!
We wouldn’t want to offend those who are about to die /s
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