Conclusion

In today’s growingly hypermedia and networked environment, where fights in the realm of public opinions are increasingly central to any conflict, the Islamic Republic has equipped itself with a wide range of cyber-influence tools allowing it to level the playing field with its regional and extra-regional rivals and thus better serve its strategic interests. Although a certain degree of hybridity and asymmetry is now present in the approaches of most international actors, few like Iran have placed it so deeply at the heart of their strategic doctrine to the extent that it shapes every facet of its international policies. As noted by Haiminis:

Iran’s influence efforts in cyberspace reflect the importance Tehran attributes to the ideological struggle at home and against its external enemies, first and foremost the United States. […] Therefore, Iran’s cyber influence campaign is not merely a counteraction to US moves (real and imagined), but also another step in Iran’s longstanding desire to destabilize the United States by weakening its internal robustness.

In addition to being at the heart of its asymmetric strategy, Iran’s cyber influence system enjoys extraordinary consistency in the formulation and the display of its message—a consistency which prompted Michael Rubin to note that it “suffers from no editorial confusion” while showing a remarkable alignment with the rest of Tehran’s policy. Partially decentralized and largely outsourced, Iran’s creative, hybrid, and highly adaptative cyber-strategy is likely to increase the longevity of the regime and allows it to continue pursuing its forward defense approach while remaining below the threshold of direct confrontation. Iran’s encompassing media-diplomacy, engaged on all fronts with all available means, constitutes a significant challenge for Western powers, especially if, as some experts warn, it is effectively coordinated with that of other powerful members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Pierre Pahlavi is a full professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in the Department of Defence Studies, co-located with the Canadian Forces College, Canada’s Staff and War College. His research focuses on Iran and its asymmetric strategies, public diplomacy, and the use of force in the international system. He has published in various journals in strategic and security studies and has recently published a book in French on the Iranian revolution, Le Marécage des Ayatollahs, prized by the Académie française. He has a Ph.D. in political science from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Image: A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps navy gestures as he participates in a joint naval exercise between Iran and Russia in the Indian Ocean. February 17, 2021. Iranian Army/WANA via Reuters.