Iranian Embassies Weaponize Epstein Conspiracy Theory in Coordinated Disinformation Campaign
Iranian embassies in the UK, Sweden, Zimbabwe, and South Africa are deploying conspiracy content to frame Operation Epic Fury as a "distraction" concocted by the "Epstein class"
In a coordinated information campaign that began immediately after the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Iranian embassy accounts across at least four countries have weaponized Epstein conspiracy theories to frame the U.S.-Israeli military operation as a calculated distraction from the release of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The effort represents a notable shift in Iranian state messaging — moving from traditional anti-American rhetoric to co-opting Western conspiracy narratives with explicitly antisemitic undertones.
Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, launched on February 28, 2026. Within days, official Iranian diplomatic channels began circulating content suggesting the operation was designed to divert attention from the Epstein scandal.
Embassy Accounts Amplify “Epsteinian” Framing
Iranian embassy accounts in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, among others, have all deployed variations of the conspiracy theory, often using the hashtag #Epstein or coining terms like “Epsteinian” to link U.S. policy to the disgraced financier.
On March 16, Iran’s embassy in the UK posted: “#Epstein’s criminals are never satiated by children’s blood” — quote-tweeting Press TV footage of civilian casualties from U.S.-Israeli strikes. The post explicitly framed American military action as driven by the same figures implicated in Epstein’s network. Days later, the same account responded to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with: “Medieval rhetoric from a member of the Epstein class. It’s a shame for American society that someone like this has become their voice.”
Iran’s embassy in Zimbabwe characterized the military strikes using newly coined terminology: “The ‘Epsteinian’ logic of the unlawful attack on Iran: speaking of prosperity while pursuing destruction, bombing a nation toward the ‘Stone Age’ in acts tantamount to war crime and crime against humanity.”
The embassy in South Africa made the antisemitic subtext explicit, referring to “a cowardly assault by the Epstein gang (the criminal Zionist-American alliance)” in a post about a protester’s death during an International Quds Day rally. The parenthetical equation of “Epstein gang” with “Zionist-American alliance” directly links the conspiracy theory to antisemitic narratives about Jewish control of U.S. policy.
Iran's embassy in Sweden posted an image on April 3 with the text: "Iranian missiles advocate women's rights more than political claimants and feminist movements do." The accompanying photo showed a note reading "In revenge for Virginia Giuffre whose voice was silenced by Epstein's network" alongside an image of Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers. The post garnered over 1 million views, demonstrating the conspiracy content's viral potential.
Broader Disinformation Ecosystem
The embassy messaging aligns with a wider pro-Iranian propaganda network that has found viral success by merging Epstein conspiracy content with opposition to Operation Epic Fury. The Washington Post documented in March that accounts pushing Tehran’s talking points circulated AI-generated deepfake videos purporting to show Trump with Epstein, accompanied by captions claiming: “These pedophile perverts started a war so that this wouldn’t be talked about.”
One such post from an account called HDX News was viewed more than 6.8 million times, demonstrating the conspiracy theory’s reach beyond official Iranian channels.
Antisemitic Undertones
While Iranian embassy posts avoid explicitly naming Jewish figures or institutions, the campaign’s structure follows familiar antisemitic conspiracy patterns: framing U.S. military action as controlled by hidden forces connected to sexual exploitation and suggesting American leaders act “at the behest” of outside influences. The repeated invocation of Epstein — whose crimes have been co-opted by antisemitic narratives linking powerful Jewish figures to global manipulation — serves as coded language within these networks.
Strategic Disinformation Deployment
The campaign reflects Iran’s adaptation of information warfare tactics. Rather than defending against U.S. military strikes through traditional diplomatic channels, Tehran’s embassies are attempting to delegitimize the operation by linking it to one of the most inflammatory conspiracy theories in contemporary Western discourse.
Disinformation researchers have identified Iran’s use of conspiracy theories and fake news as a longstanding tactic, but the Epstein campaign marks one of the most direct deployments by official diplomatic accounts on a Western social media platform.
As Operation Epic Fury continues, Iranian embassies show no signs of abandoning the messaging strategy — continuing to post content that blends geopolitical commentary with conspiratorial framing, demonstrating how state actors can weaponize Western disinformation ecosystems for strategic communication objectives.
Typical desperate despicable Iranian Islamist Terrorist regime propaganda funded by certain camps in the Gulf via via via holdings and NGOs. Name starts with Q.., go figure