Western Media Psychological Operations Against Iran and Russia: Goals and Interests

The present article delves into the underlying motives and techniques employed by Western media in portraying Iran and Russia as adversaries. The study is underpinned by two primary theoretical frameworks, namely the advertising model and critical discourse analysis, which are utilized to scrutinize the language and social context of media texts. The central research question seeks to unravel the reasons behind the demonization of Iran and Russia by Western media. This article is an explanatory study that draws on library sources, and the method of analysis employed is discourse analysis. The findings of this research reveal that demonization is utilized by the West as a propaganda tool due to cultural and political disparities, nuclear concerns, support for terrorism, global threats, and regional competition. The creation of negative and hostile images of these countries serves to exert economic and political pressure while simultaneously presenting a positive and amicable image of Western actions. Western media commonly employ terms such as "regime," "dictatorship," "paramilitary," or "proxy" to describe Iran and Russia, while using positive terms such as "government," "democracy," "army," or "partner" to describe themselves. The language used by Western media reflects the interests, biases, and agenda of media owners.