Staff Reports
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps didn’t just send a message this week — it put out a 25‑page campaign pamphlet and politely asked American voters to do its bidding. Tehran’s IRGC, via Mehr News and a televised briefing led by Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi, published an “open letter to the American people” timed for the U.S. midterms. It reads like a mix of sermon, strategic brag and foreign political consulting, all wrapped in pious language about peace and justice.
What the IRGC open letter actually says
The IRGC open letter tells Americans to pressure Washington to stop supporting Israel, pull back U.S. military presence, and reject the policies of President Trump. Mehr News published the full English text and quoted the press briefing. The letter claims Iran has prevailed in its clash with the U.S. and offers “peaceful coexistence” — if American voters remove what it calls “evil, deceitful and violent politicians” and “entrust your affairs to the wise.” Many of the IRGC’s casualty and battlefield claims — like the casualty totals and control over the Strait of Hormuz — come from the IRGC itself and are disputed by independent sources.
Timing and intent: a clear influence operation
Why now? Because foreign propaganda has a habit of showing up when U.S. politics are most fragile. Analysts rightly call this a propaganda and influence effort aimed at American voters and elites. Reuters and Newsweek noted the timing: a roll‑out during the midterms is no accident. The State Department has already dismissed the letter as a “smokescreen,” saying the regime hopes to distract from its own behavior. Nice try, Tehran — but voters are not your focus group.
Hypocrisy in plain sight
Here’s the part that should make anyone who values real freedom roll their eyes. The IRGC quotes scripture about equality and human dignity while its own forces crush protests at home. Human‑rights groups document the IRGC’s role in domestic repression and political control. So the same outfit telling Americans to protect human values is also a pillar of a regime that jails journalists, silences dissent and runs militias across the region. That gap between sermon and practice is not modesty — it’s theater.
Takeaway for American voters and campaigns
Foreign actors will try to shape U.S. politics when it’s useful to them. The IRGC open letter is propaganda — dressed up as moral counsel. Americans should treat it like what it is: a strategic message from an adversary, not civic advice. Campaigns and media should call it out and voters should not let foreign regimes dictate our choices. If Tehran wants to lecture on justice, it can start by freeing its own people. Until then, we can file this under “unwanted campaign advice from abroad.”
