Iran blames US for completing 'mental fighting'
Iran Blames US for Completing 'Mental War': The 7‑Year Journey from Psychological Blame Game to Cognitive Warfare
Let's be honest: if there's one thing Iran and the United States can agree on, it's that they're locked in a war of minds. They just can't agree on who started it, who's winning, or what the rules are. Back in May 2019, when this article was first published, Iran was already accusing Washington of waging a "mental war" against the Islamic Republic—a campaign of psychological pressure, economic strangulation, and media manipulation designed to break the will of the Iranian people. The U.S., meanwhile, was insisting that its "maximum pressure" campaign was about forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table, not toppling the regime. Fast forward to 2026, and that "mental war" has evolved into something far more sophisticated—and far more terrifying. We're now in the era of "cognitive warfare," where AI‑generated deepfakes, 1,104‑hour internet blackouts, and a naval blockade called "Operation Economic Fury" are the weapons of choice. The 2019 accusations, it turns out, were just the opening salvo. Grab your VPN (if it still works) and a stiff cup of chai, because we're diving into the looking‑glass world of U.S.‑Iran psychological warfare, where the truth is the first casualty and everyone's a spin doctor.
The original 2019 article captured a moment when Iran's Foreign Ministry was accusing the U.S. of "psychological warfare" alongside economic sanctions and military threats. The accusation was that Washington was trying to "break the Iranian people's resistance" by creating a climate of fear and uncertainty. It was a classic asymmetric response: a country with limited conventional military power using narrative and perception as its primary defense. But what was a rhetorical device in 2019 has become the central battlefield in 2026. The conflict that erupted in late February has not only closed the Strait of Hormuz and sent oil prices soaring—it's triggered the longest state‑mandated internet blackout in recent history, flooded social media with AI‑generated propaganda, and prompted the U.S. Treasury to unleash "Economic Fury" sanctions aimed at "systematically degrading" Iran's ability to move money. The "mental war" is no longer a metaphor. It's the main event. And if you think that sounds exhausting, just wait until you hear about the Iranian official who dismissed Trump's ceasefire offer as "psychological warfare to control the oil market."[reference:0] The projection is strong with this one.
"What the US government is pursuing against Iran today is not merely an economic war; rather, it is a combination of psychological warfare, media campaigns, spread of false information, threats of military intervention and incitement of violence and terrorism."
The 2019 Baseline: "Maximum Pressure" Meets "Mental War"
The 2019 accusations were, in retrospect, almost quaint. Iran's Foreign Ministry regularly blasted the U.S. for waging "psychological warfare" alongside its economic sanctions, accusing Washington of trying to "break the Iranian people's resistance." The U.S., for its part, insisted that its "maximum pressure" campaign was about forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table over its nuclear program and regional activities. The psychological dimension was real—the constant threat of military action, the crippling sanctions that tanked the rial, the social media campaigns highlighting protests—but it was largely a sideshow to the economic main event. No one, in 2019, was talking about "cognitive warfare" as a formal military doctrine. No one was using AI to generate fake satellite images of destroyed aircraft carriers.[reference:2] And no one was imposing a 1,104‑hour internet blackout on an entire nation.[reference:3] The "mental war" of 2019 was a rhetorical framework. The cognitive war of 2026 is a fully operationalized battlefield. The difference is the scale, the sophistication, and the terrifying integration of information warfare with kinetic military action. As one Chinese analysis put it, "This war is not only a military confrontation; it has become an all‑round game of cognitive and information competition."[reference:4] Translation: they're fighting for your brain, and they're using everything from aircraft carriers to memes to do it.
The 2026 Cognitive War: AI Deepfakes, "Economic Fury," and the Great Internet Blackout
If 2019 was the year of the rhetorical accusation, 2026 is the year the accusation became a full‑blown operational reality. The conflict that began with U.S.‑Israeli strikes on February 28 has spawned a multi‑front cognitive war that makes the 2019 "mental war" look like a schoolyard squabble. Let's start with the information battlefield. Iran's state media and affiliated social media accounts have flooded platforms with AI‑generated images claiming successful strikes on U.S. aircraft carriers and Israeli cities.[reference:5] One particularly audacious post from the Tehran Times showed a U.S. military base in Qatar "completely destroyed"—except a BBC verification revealed the images were AI‑generated fakes, and the base's location wasn't even in Qatar.[reference:6] The U.S., meanwhile, has been waging its own information war, with President Trump's Truth Social posts veering between threats and olive branches in a way that analysts say is itself a cognitive weapon. "This kind of inconsistent rhetoric is itself a cognitive warfare tool," one Chinese analysis noted, "blurring the rhythm of information to disrupt public judgment."[reference:7] The goal isn't to inform; it's to confuse. And it's working.
Then there's the economic‑psychological double whammy. The U.S. Treasury has unleashed "Operation Economic Fury," a sanctions regime so aggressive it makes the 2018 "maximum pressure" campaign look like a gentle nudge.[reference:8] Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Kharg Island—which handles 90% of Iran's crude exports—will soon have its storage tanks full, forcing Iran to shut down its oil wells and lose $139 million daily.[reference:9] The U.S. Navy is blockading Iranian ports, and any vessel facilitating Iranian oil trade risks secondary sanctions.[reference:10] The economic pain is real, but so is the psychological dimension: the message is that Iran's economic lifeline is being systematically severed, and there's nothing Tehran can do about it. Iran, for its part, has responded with its own psychological counter‑measures—warning that if its energy infrastructure is attacked, it will retaliate by hitting the oil and gas facilities of U.S. allies in the region.[reference:11] It's a high‑stakes game of chicken, and the cognitive dimension is as important as the military one.
And then there's the great Iranian internet blackout. Since early January 2026, Iran has been largely severed from the global internet—a digital isolation that, as of mid‑April, had reached 1,104 hours and was entering its 47th day.[reference:12] The blackout began with domestic protests and intensified after the war started. NetBlocks, the internet watchdog, has called it one of the most significant periods of state‑mandated digital censorship in recent history.[reference:13] The regime's goal is obvious: control the narrative, prevent the spread of dissent, and limit the population's exposure to outside information. But the blackout is also a form of cognitive warfare in itself—a way of creating an information vacuum that the state can then fill with its own propaganda. And it's not just a blunt instrument; it's being fine‑tuned. Iran has rolled out a class‑based internet service, where selected businesses and institutions regain global access while the general public remains restricted.[reference:14] It's a two‑tiered digital society, and it's a powerful tool of psychological control. As one expert put it, "The enemy's media empire and cognitive warfare have influenced segments of Iranian society."[reference:15] The regime's response? Shut down the internet and hope the influence goes away.
The Nuclear Deal Theater: "Far Better" Than the JCPOA, or Just More Psychological Warfare?
Amid the cognitive war, there's an actual diplomatic track—sort of. President Trump has been insisting that a new deal with Iran will be "FAR BETTER" than the 2015 JCPOA, which he unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.[reference:16] The talks are taking place in Islamabad, with Vice President JD Vance leading the U.S. delegation.[reference:17] But Tehran has dismissed the entire process as psychological warfare. When Trump announced a five‑day pause on strikes and said he was open to talks, a senior Iranian security official called it a "retreat" and warned that the proposal "must not turn into 'psychological warfare' designed to disguise another attack."[reference:18] The official added, with a flourish of rhetorical judo, "With this kind of psychological warfare, neither will the Strait of Hormuz return to pre‑war conditions nor will calm return to the energy market."[reference:19] In other words: your peace offer is itself a weapon, and we're not falling for it. The circularity is dizzying, but it's also a perfect encapsulation of the cognitive war. Every statement is analyzed not for its content, but for its psychological intent. Is Trump genuinely seeking a deal? Or is he just trying to unsettle the oil market? Is Iran genuinely open to talks? Or is it just buying time? In the cognitive war, the answer is always "both, and neither." The only certainty is uncertainty. And that, as the analysts note, is the point.
"With this kind of psychological warfare, neither will the Strait of Hormuz return to pre-war conditions nor will calm return to [the] energy market."
The Meme War: How Iran Is Trolling Trump (and Winning?)
Not all cognitive warfare is high‑tech or deadly serious. Some of it is just... trolling. Iran's state media apparatus has embraced the art of the meme, flooding social media with content that mocks President Trump. One particularly viral image depicts a Trump‑like character as a Teletubby in an American flag‑themed outfit, sitting in the Oval Office and playing with toy fighter jets over a map of the Middle East.[reference:21] "Trolling Trump has become a new Iranian regime pastime," one analysis noted.[reference:22] It's not just confined to social media; Iran's official state media communications often adopt the same mocking tone, especially in English. The goal is clear: undermine Trump's image of strength, portray him as a buffoon, and signal to both domestic and international audiences that Iran is not intimidated. It's a classic asymmetric tactic—a country with limited military power using cultural and digital tools to wage psychological warfare. And it's surprisingly effective. The memes get shared, the mockery gets amplified, and the narrative of American incompetence spreads. Whether it actually changes any strategic calculations is debatable, but in the cognitive war, perception is reality. And right now, Iran is winning the perception battle on social media—at least among its target audiences.
But the meme war cuts both ways. The U.S. and its allies have their own propaganda machinery, flooding the zone with narratives about Iranian brutality, economic mismanagement, and military weakness. The White House's Rapid Response account blasted CNN for airing "four straight minutes of uninterrupted Iranian state TV," calling it a platform for "the same psychotic and murderous regime that has prided itself on brutally slaughtering Americans for 47 years."[reference:23] The information war is total, and no platform is neutral. Every image, every headline, every social media post is a potential weapon. And the line between journalism and propaganda has never been blurrier. In the cognitive war, everyone is a combatant, whether they know it or not.
The Human Cost: 15,000 Injured and the Fog of War
Amid all the talk of cognitive warfare, deepfakes, and memes, it's easy to forget that real people are dying. According to Iran's health ministry and the Iranian Red Crescent, more than 15,000 people have been injured since the start of the war, with thousands of residential buildings damaged in air strikes.[reference:24] Hospitals, schools, and emergency facilities have reportedly been hit in cities including Tehran, Tabriz, and Ahvaz. Independent verification of these figures is impossible—the fog of war, combined with the internet blackout, makes any accurate assessment a guessing game. But the human suffering is real, and it's the backdrop against which the cognitive war is being fought. Both sides use the casualties as propaganda: Iran to portray itself as the victim of American aggression, the U.S. to highlight the regime's brutality and the need for "regime change." The truth, as always, is somewhere in the murky middle. But in the cognitive war, the truth is less important than the narrative. And the narrative, on both sides, is one of victimhood and righteous resistance. The people caught in the middle—the 15,000 injured, the millions living under economic siege and digital blackout—are the forgotten casualties of a war that is being fought as much in the mind as on the battlefield.
The Geopolitical Ripple Effect: Energy Markets and Global Trust
The cognitive war between the U.S. and Iran isn't happening in a vacuum. It's sending shockwaves through the global economy and eroding international trust in ways that will take decades to repair. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent Brent crude oil futures up more than 50% since the war began, with U.S. WTI crude breaking above $100 per barrel.[reference:25] Energy markets are in turmoil, and the psychological impact is as significant as the physical disruption. Every statement from Trump, every threat from Tehran, every rumor of a ceasefire or an escalation sends prices gyrating. The oil market has become a barometer of cognitive warfare, with traders trying to parse the psychological intent behind every diplomatic signal. As one analyst put it, "Iran believes Trump's statement amounts to 'psychological warfare to control the oil market', which has seen sharp volatility since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz."[reference:26] The market itself has become a battlefield.
Beyond energy, the cognitive war is fracturing global trust. Western media emphasizes "security" and "defense," while Global South nations focus on sovereignty and anti‑interventionism.[reference:27] The U.S. tariff regime—25% on imports from any nation that trades with Iran—forces countries into a binary choice: access the American market or maintain ties with Tehran.[reference:28] The result is a world that is increasingly divided, not just militarily and economically, but cognitively. Different populations are consuming entirely different narratives about the war, shaped by AI‑generated propaganda, state‑controlled media, and algorithmic echo chambers. The shared reality that once underpinned global diplomacy is crumbling. And in its place is a fragmented, contested, and deeply unstable cognitive landscape. The "mental war" that Iran accused the U.S. of waging in 2019 has become, in 2026, a global cognitive conflict with no clear end in sight.
The 2026 Reality Check: What's Actually Happening on the Ground?
So where does all this leave us in April 2026? The short answer: in a state of profound uncertainty. The military conflict between the U.S.‑Israel and Iran is in a fragile ceasefire, but the cognitive war is raging unabated. Iran's internet remains largely severed from the world, its population trapped in an information vacuum while the regime floods domestic channels with propaganda. The U.S. is applying "Economic Fury" sanctions that are systematically degrading Iran's ability to export oil and access international finance. Diplomatic talks are ongoing in Islamabad, but both sides are treating them as extensions of psychological warfare rather than genuine negotiations. And the global energy market is whipsawing with every rumor, every tweet, every AI‑generated image of a burning aircraft carrier.
The cognitive war has become so pervasive that it's almost impossible to separate the "real" conflict from the "perceived" one. Are U.S. forces really preparing to seize Kharg Island, as Trump has mused? Or is that just psychological warfare designed to rattle Tehran?[reference:29] Has Iran's military truly been degraded, or is that just a narrative being pushed to justify a U.S. exit? The answers are murky, and that murkiness is the point. In cognitive warfare, the goal is not to win a decisive victory; it's to keep the enemy off‑balance, to erode their will, and to shape the information environment to your advantage. By that measure, both sides are succeeding—and both sides are failing. The Iranian people are exhausted, economically crushed, and digitally isolated. The American public is confused, divided, and increasingly skeptical of official narratives. The only clear winners are the propagandists, the arms dealers, and the oil traders who thrive on volatility. Everyone else is just trying to figure out what's real. And in the cognitive war, that's the hardest question of all.
When the original version of this article was published in 2019, Iran's accusations of U.S. "mental war" seemed like hyperbolic rhetoric. Seven years later, they seem almost prescient. The "mental war" has become the main war—a conflict fought with AI deepfakes, economic strangulation, internet blackouts, and the weaponization of uncertainty itself. The 2019 accusations were the opening salvo of a conflict that has now engulfed the entire region and reshaped the global information landscape. Whether this cognitive war can ever be "won" is doubtful. But one thing is certain: it has changed the way we understand conflict itself. The battlefield is no longer just a physical space. It's inside our heads. And the fight for our minds is just getting started. Pass the VPN. If it still works.
Key Takeaways: Iran's "Mental War" Accusations, 2019–2026
- 2019: Iran accuses the U.S. of "psychological warfare" as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign. The accusation is rhetorical, but it foreshadows the cognitive war to come.
- February 28, 2026: U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iran begin, triggering a full‑scale cognitive war. The conflict is not just military; it's a "cognitive and information competition" fought on multiple fronts.[reference:30]
- Iran imposes a 1,104‑hour internet blackout, one of the longest in recent history. The digital isolation is a tool of cognitive control, creating an information vacuum for state propaganda.[reference:31]
- AI‑generated deepfakes flood social media, with both sides using fabricated images to shape the narrative. Iran's state media spreads fake images of destroyed U.S. bases and aircraft carriers.[reference:32]
- The U.S. Treasury launches "Operation Economic Fury," a sanctions regime aimed at "systematically degrading" Iran's oil revenue. Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iran's crude exports, is a primary target.[reference:33]
- Iran dismisses Trump's ceasefire offers and nuclear deal proposals as "psychological warfare." Every diplomatic signal is analyzed for its psychological intent.[reference:34]
- The cognitive war has sent oil prices soaring—Brent crude up over 50% since the conflict began. Energy markets are whipsawing on psychological signals as much as physical disruptions.[reference:35]
- More than 15,000 people have been injured since the war began, according to Iranian sources. The human cost is real, but verification is impossible amid the cognitive fog.[reference:36]
- The global information landscape is fractured, with different populations consuming entirely different narratives. The shared reality that once underpinned diplomacy is crumbling.[reference:37]
Sources & Further Reading
- CRI (2026): "深观察 | 美国对伊朗动武不止为石油 还是一场看不见的认知战" — Analysis of cognitive warfare and information manipulation.[reference:38]
- Xinhua (2026): "Iran accuses U.S. of interference over comments on protests" — Foreign Ministry statement on psychological warfare.[reference:39]
- Jiji Press (2026): "Trump signals possible wind-down in Iran as Tehran calls it psychological warfare" — Tehran dismisses Trump's remarks as oil market manipulation.[reference:40]
- WION (2026): "'Kharg Island will be...': US reveals masterplan to unleash 'economic fury' on Iran" — Blockade and sanctions details.[reference:41]
- Lokmat Times/ANI (2026): "Iran's 1,104-hour digital blackout 'intensifies' on 47th day" — Internet blackout milestone.[reference:42]
- Chosun Ilbo (2026): "Iran Spreads AI-Generated Fakes of U.S. Carrier Strike" — Deepfake propaganda campaign.[reference:43]
- Hankyoreh (2026): "Iran calls Trump's 5-day pause on strikes 'psychological warfare'" — Senior official's warning.[reference:44]
- Yonhap (2026): "Trump says new Iran deal will be 'far better' than 2015 nuclear deal" — Nuclear negotiations update.[reference:45]
- Politis (2026): "Iranian Embassy in Cyprus Accuses US and Israel of 'Psychological Warfare'" — Diplomatic statement and casualty figures.[reference:46]
- Times Now (2026): "Full Spectrum Squeeze: US Locks Down Iran's Seas, Dollars, Oil Flow" — Economic Fury sanctions.[reference:47]
- Zee News (2026): "Did Trump launch economic warfare on Iran wrapped in a ceasefire extension?" — Economic blockade analysis.[reference:48]
- IranIntl (2026): "Internet Pro or Censor Pro? Iran rolls out a new service" — Class‑based internet access.[reference:49]
- NEPM (2026): "Iran's propaganda machine trolls Trump" — Meme warfare and Teletubby image.[reference:50]
Note: This article draws on reporting from CRI, Xinhua, Jiji Press, WION, Lokmat Times/ANI, Chosun Ilbo, Hankyoreh, Yonhap, Politis, Times Now, Zee News, IranIntl, and NEPM. All data and quotations are attributed to their original publications. For more geopolitical analysis and news, visit Top Economic News and Trendao.
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