Leaks from Iranian regime officials reveal propaganda lies about foreign influence, extreme brutality of crackdown

The regime’s messaging has been characterized as an “ongoing information operation,” saying it is aimed at masking the extent of the violence while blaming unrest on foreign-backed terrorist groups.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Confidential disclosures by Iranian officials are challenging the Islamic Republic’s account of its response to nationwide protests, according to a Sunday assessment by the nonpartisan Institute for the Study of War.

Citing multiple reports, the think tank said internal leaks indicate that security forces were ordered to use lethal force against demonstrators, contradicting assurances the Iranian government have given about not executing protesters.

Two Iranian officials briefed on directives from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told The New York Times that forces were instructed to open fire and “show no mercy.”

Separately, two senior officials told TIME that as many as 30,000 people may have been killed between Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 — figures that sharply diverge from the regime’s statement at a UN Human Rights Council session on Friday placing the toll at 3,117.

The institute described the regime’s messaging as an “ongoing information operation,” saying it is aimed at masking the extent of the violence while blaming unrest on foreign-backed terrorist groups.

Human rights organizations told The Jerusalem Post that families have been pressured to register slain relatives as members of the Basij, a paramilitary force operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. At the same time, the US State Department condemned reports that a soldier, Javid Khales, faces execution for refusing orders to shoot protesters, calling his refusal “the only moral choice.”

Divisions within the regime have also surfaced over restoring internet access. While IRGC-affiliated outlets previously promised service would resume nationwide by Saturday, NetBlocks reported only brief connectivity spikes on Sunday. The Information and Communications Technology Ministry denied claims that access had been fully restored.

Some IRGC-linked media argued the shutdown is necessary for stability, while an affiliated Telegram channel warned it risks deepening public resentment and harming the economy.

The assessment follows a report by Iran International that Alireza Jeyrani Hokmabad, a senior diplomat at Iran’s UN mission in Geneva, has sought asylum in Switzerland. Sources said other officials may be considering similar steps amid the unfolding crisis.