Staff Reports
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps just tried to write advice for American voters. Yes, you read that right. A U.S.-designated terrorist group produced a roughly 25-page open letter aimed at Americans and timed it to influence the midterm elections. This is not subtle. It is an influence operation dressed up as a civics lesson — and it deserves a clear response from Washington.
What the IRGC’s letter actually is
The IRGC handed out a long, public letter and briefed foreign journalists with a spokesman who urged reporters to share it “in full and faithfully.” The letter urges Americans to turn against President Donald Trump’s policies, oppose military support for allies, and pressure U.S. leaders over the campaign against Iran. It even tries to recast the slogan “Death to America” as anger at political elites, not ordinary people. That spin is a PR trick, not a change of heart.
Why the timing makes this an influence operation
The timing is the point. The letter was released weeks before U.S. midterm elections. That tells you the goal — to sway public opinion at home, not to open honest diplomacy. When a group that the U.S. labels a Foreign Terrorist Organization addresses American voters like a political consultant, it crosses a line. This is information warfare, plain and simple.
Why Americans should care now
Foreign meddling in our politics should set off alarms on both sides of the aisle. The IRGC’s outreach tries to exploit war weariness and paint Washington as the problem. But the real issue is the messenger. A military arm of a hostile regime deciding who to vote for should be a nonstarter. Republicans should use this to highlight national-security failures. Democrats should not pretend this is normal either. We all lose if foreign adversaries set the agenda.
What Washington should do next
The White House, Congress and federal agencies must treat this as interference. Demand transparency: publish the full text and assess how it was spread. Platforms should enforce rules against propaganda from designated terrorist groups. At the same time, leaders should explain the facts of the conflict to voters clearly and honestly. Americans deserve truth, not a 25-page lecture from an enemy of the state.
The IRGC’s letter is a bold and clumsy attempt to meddle in U.S. politics. It will not be the last attempt. The right answer is simple: call it out, cut off its reach, and remind voters that foreign regimes do not get a vote in our elections. If anyone thinks a Tehran press packet should decide American policy, they’ve missed the last several decades of history — and common sense.
