Iran inviting Western influencers to Khamenei's funeral is a sign of weakness, expert says

The Islamic Republic’s decision to invite Western personalities and media to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral is a sign of weakness, Beni Sabti, an Iranian-born Israeli researcher and leading expert on Iran at the Institute for National Security Studies, explained to The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, confirmed to the IRGC-affiliated semi-state official Tasnim News Agency that around 400 foreign bloggers and influencers were brought in to challenge global perceptions of Tehran.

"Fortunately, guests from 30 important and well-known foreign countries attended this ceremony at various levels. Their presence was genuinely surprising to many foreign media outlets. Even Trump was reportedly surprised by the large number of heads of state and senior foreign officials who attended," the official said.

"More importantly, we must communicate the correct and authentic image of this ceremony to the world. At present, many foreign media organizations are in Tehran, and alongside them, international bloggers and influencers are covering the event through various media formats."

Bushra Sheikh, a British-Pakistani influencer who has previously taken a propaganda tour of Iran, American commentator Jackson Hinkle and activist Cella Walsh were among the Western faces who joined the procession.

In addition, IranWire reported that many of those in attendance were Lebanese journalists and media figures, at a time when Iran's influence in Lebanon is increasingly being challenged by an agreement with Jerusalem.

"In my view, unless we democratize the media landscape and make use of the capacities of ordinary people, the major media will continue to remain in the hands of those who seek to censor us or present a distorted image of us,” Imanpour said.

“Therefore, the best path is the one that is now taking shape: making use of bloggers, influencers, and citizen media, who can communicate an accurate and authentic image of Iran through diverse and effective formats."

While Imanipour claimed that the move “effectively neutralized the Western media campaign,” Sabti stressed that the need to make this effort to project a sign of unity was a clear sign that the regime remained unpopular.

Sabti pointed to the fact that Western media and influencers were not invited to cover the January protests. Instead, the regime responded by violently suppressing the demonstrations and cutting off internet access across the country for nearly three months. By contrast, he said, authorities were happy to open the door when they could control the narrative surrounding an event to those specifically “naive” enough to buy into the image they are projecting.

“When you see that the Islamic regime is helped by Western media, it means that they are desperate,” Sabti explained. “Actually, it means that they are weak, and people don't want them.”

Sabti claimed the numbers were bolstered by supporters from Iraq and neighboring countries. Citing his contacts within the Islamic Republic, Sabti said that many had used the funeral as an opportunity to travel north, away from major cities, and there were deliberate efforts being made to avoid even watching media coverage of the ceremony.

He also argued that the planning of the funeral itself exposed what he described as the myth of Iran’s unity and state power.

Citing a report by the diaspora outlet Iran International, which claimed the funeral procession was forced to begin early because of confusion over invitations sent to foreign dignitaries, he noted that the planned route for Khamenei’s body was changed multiple times, with each revision announced by a different authority.

Notably, there were reports that local businesses were forced to close for the ceremony and restaurants were ordered to prepare free food at their own expense, another sign that the Islamic Republic’s depiction of unity was orchestrated.