Since the start of the Iran–Israel–U.S. war, there has been reasonable criticism of how the war is being conducted, as well as questions about the clarity and viability of its end goals.
At The Free Press, we have published a range of voices reflecting many sides of that debate.
Then there are the people who take it a step too far.
Conspiracy theorists have spiraled on both the far right and far left - in some cases, bleeding into overt antisemitism or apologism for the Iranian regime.
Take far-right influencer Nick Fuentes:
There is “very little upside for Americans and for the United States. As we know, the upside all belongs to Israel. The risk is ours. Blowback, collateral damage, loss of life: That’s ours. That belongs to us. And it’s really looking like we’re being drawn further and further.”
Of President Donald Trump, he said:
“You are a demonic force. You are a liar. You are diabolical. You are a traitor.”
Tucker Carlson has suggested that the Chabad movement, one of the largest Jewish organizations in the world, is helping orchestrate the military campaign against Iran.
Meanwhile, on the left, responses have ranged from a popular TikToker composing a ballad for Mojtaba Khamenei - the new Supreme Leader of Iran - to a Students for Justice in Palestine account glorifying an Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy base, to widespread “Hands Off Iran” protests where people are filmed shouting,
“The biggest threats in the world today are Israel and the USA.”
How has anti-war sentiment on both extremes of the political spectrum morphed into pro-regime propaganda, anti-Americanism, and antisemitism?
Elica Le Bon is an Iranian attorney and activist.
She explains how the far right and far left found common cause, and how this convergence is shaping the global information war around Iran.
She also discusses the privilege of living in a liberal democracy, how that can cloud people’s judgment about dictatorial regimes, and the risks of a scenario in which the regime is weakened but ultimately remains intact.
