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American experts have uncovered an invisible network of 19 websites.
Researchers at the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) have identified a network of 19 Iran-related websites that present themselves as independent sources of opinion and analysis for an international audience. Although some experts have previously linked several similar sites to Iran, FDD was the first to be able to identify most of them, documenting technical signs that confirm their interconnectedness.
Recently, Microsoft and OpenAI uncovered five websites that are part of an Iranian influence operation, as later reported by The New York Times. However, FDD data shows that this is only part of a global campaign targeting users in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus and South America.
Two of these sites are aimed at American audiences and publish material related to the U.S. election. Afro Majority appeals to African Americans by criticizing former President Donald Trump and supporting incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. At the same time, the Not Our War website is aimed at US veterans, promoting ideas about the illegitimacy of American democracy and criticizing both Trump and Biden.
Pro-Iranian content is regularly published on these platforms. For example, after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed anti-Israel protests at universities, Afro Majority called his statement a "deep act of sympathy". In turn, Not Our War spread a conspiracy theory that the United States was allegedly developing weather control weapons in order to weaken Iran.
The rest of the sites are also active in promoting Iran's interests, criticizing the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia and supporting organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas. One of the sites, Herald Alba, promotes Scottish independence, a topic that Iran has already focused on in its operations before. The only website that does not publish political content is People of Persia, which is dedicated to celebrating Persian history and cultural heritage.
Technical details indicate that all 19 sites are interconnected: they use the same servers, have similar patterns in email addresses, and have the same errors in linking to non-existent social media pages. FDD plans to break down these sites in detail in a future report.
The researchers call on the international community and the United States to take action to dismantle this network of Iranian influence and bring those involved in Iran to justice.
Source
Researchers at the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) have identified a network of 19 Iran-related websites that present themselves as independent sources of opinion and analysis for an international audience. Although some experts have previously linked several similar sites to Iran, FDD was the first to be able to identify most of them, documenting technical signs that confirm their interconnectedness.
Recently, Microsoft and OpenAI uncovered five websites that are part of an Iranian influence operation, as later reported by The New York Times. However, FDD data shows that this is only part of a global campaign targeting users in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus and South America.
Two of these sites are aimed at American audiences and publish material related to the U.S. election. Afro Majority appeals to African Americans by criticizing former President Donald Trump and supporting incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. At the same time, the Not Our War website is aimed at US veterans, promoting ideas about the illegitimacy of American democracy and criticizing both Trump and Biden.
Pro-Iranian content is regularly published on these platforms. For example, after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed anti-Israel protests at universities, Afro Majority called his statement a "deep act of sympathy". In turn, Not Our War spread a conspiracy theory that the United States was allegedly developing weather control weapons in order to weaken Iran.
The rest of the sites are also active in promoting Iran's interests, criticizing the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia and supporting organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas. One of the sites, Herald Alba, promotes Scottish independence, a topic that Iran has already focused on in its operations before. The only website that does not publish political content is People of Persia, which is dedicated to celebrating Persian history and cultural heritage.
Technical details indicate that all 19 sites are interconnected: they use the same servers, have similar patterns in email addresses, and have the same errors in linking to non-existent social media pages. FDD plans to break down these sites in detail in a future report.
The researchers call on the international community and the United States to take action to dismantle this network of Iranian influence and bring those involved in Iran to justice.
Source
