TEHRAN — Israel is running a covert digital propaganda campaign aimed at destabilizing Iran and promoting the return of exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, according to recent reports. 

The campaign, which relies on fake Persian-language social media accounts and AI-generated content, is designed to portray Pahlavi as a popular alternative to the Islamic Republic, despite widespread opposition to monarchy within Iran.

According to a report by Haaretz, the campaign began shortly after Pahlavi’s controversial visit to the Israeli occupied territories in 2023, where he met with senior officials, including then-intelligence minister Gila Gamliel.

The visit marked the first time the U.S.-based monarchist openly traveled to occupied Palestinian territories, a move critics say was meant to gain support from the Israeli regime and intelligence agencies.

The digital campaign has intensified since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, with Israeli-linked accounts operating on platforms such as X, Instagram, and Telegram. These accounts use hashtags like #KingRezaPahlavi and post AI-generated videos depicting imagined scenes of Israeli leaders and Pahlavi walking through Tehran.

Israeli sources told Haaretz the campaign is run by a private contractor receiving state support and is part of a broader information warfare effort to influence Iranian public opinion and incite unrest.

Security analysts say the operation is part of a coordinated strategy to prepare for potential regime change in Iran by promoting Pahlavi as a Western-friendly figurehead, similar to his father, Muhammad Reza Shah, who ruled Iran until he was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab uncovered additional evidence of an Israeli-operated influence campaign timed with Israeli military attacks on Iranian infrastructure, including the June 2025 strike on Evin Prison. According to the report, fake social media accounts were already circulating news of 

“explosions” and calling on citizens to “rescue family members” even before official Iranian media confirmed the attack.
Some of the messages encouraged Tehran residents to storm banks and withdraw funds, while others spread false claims that the capital was “defenseless.” The goal, according to Citizen Lab, was to create mass panic and weaken the state’s control during a period of national crisis.
Critics argue that the propaganda effort reinforces the Iranian leadership’s long-standing assertions that foreign powers — particularly the U.S. and Israel — seek to restore a puppet monarchy and dismantle the Islamic Republic.
Though Pahlavi has been living in exile for over four decades and has limited support inside Iran, Israeli and U.S. backing appears to be reviving his political relevance — not through popular demand, but through covert digital warfare.