Iran revives ‘Zionist sorcery’ claims in propaganda against Israel
Mehr, Khamenei’s official website and previous Fars comments show how supernatural and anti-Semitic language has entered parts of the Iranian propaganda ecosystem.
Iran’s pro-state media and senior regime officials have once again invoked supernatural and conspiratorial language to describe the conflict with Israel, with recent and past documents referring to a “war of the occult sciences,” “Zionist witchcraft,” jinn and Jewish talismans. The theme also surfaced in Iranian claims that Israel used “occult and supernatural spirits” during the 12-day war.
The clearest recent example appeared in a More press agencies report released this week, according to which the confrontation with Israel extends beyond military, cyber, diplomatic and cognitive fronts to what it calls a “war of the occult sciences.” This rhetoric echoes earlier documents kept on the official website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where Iran’s enemies are described as coming from both “jinn and humans.”
Occult language enters the public domain
Mehr’s article presented no evidence of supernatural warfare. He used the term as part of a broader description of what he called a multi-dimensional fight against Israel, alongside military, cyber, diplomatic and psychological fronts.
This language fits a broader pattern of the Islamic Republic’s message. In a March 2020 speech later published on his official website, Khamenei said Iran faced enemies among “jinn and humans,” adding that foreign security services were working together against the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei’s site expanded the theme
This motive was later expanded on in a follow-up interview published on Khamenei’s website. In this interview, Ayatollah Ahmad Abedi stated that “Jews, and especially Zionists” are very interested in metaphysical questions and claimed that Mossad also engages in such practices.
The remark gave ideological cover to a line that has since resurfaced in regime-related commentary. It also helps explain why conspiratorial claims about witchcraft, talismans, and supernatural manipulation continue to appear in Iranian discourse during times of stress and confrontation.
The Fars commentary presented the conflict as a hidden spiritual struggle
The motif also appeared in a Fars commentary titled “Invisible Battle: Zionist Witchcraft, Shiite Supplication.” The article described Israel in terms of witchcraft, Kabbalah, talismans and ritual practices, while presenting Shia prayer and religious devotion as Iran’s answer.
The article reads like commentary rather than straight reporting, but it shows how openly such themes can appear on a major platform linked to the regime.
The supernatural framework has moved beyond abstract theology after the 2025 war. Abdollah Ganji, senior Tehran official and former editor-in-chief of the IRGC-linked daily Javaneseclaimed that papers bearing what he described as Jewish symbols had been found in the streets of Tehran after the fighting.
What could not be verified
Several more dramatic allegations that have circulated online in recent days, including claims about blood rituals, a special propaganda diary and live broadcasts of exorcisms across the country, could not be independently verified by the ministry. Job.
However, documented records reveal that references to jinn, talismans, “occult sciences” and “Zionist witchcraft” are not isolated incidents. They are part of a recurring rhetorical pattern that resurfaces in Iranian discourse during moments of military and political pressure.
