On Thursday, March 28, 2024, a conference was held in Paris—organized at the initiative of the Foundation for Middle East Studies (FEMO)—devoted to disinformation as a survival strategy employed by the Iranian regime.

The conference opened with a welcome address by Mr. Philippe Goujon, Mayor of the 15th Arrondissement of Paris, who welcomed FEMO and underscored the revulsion provoked by the regime’s repression of the Iranian people.

“For 45 years now, Iran has been suffering under a mullahs’ regime that appears to be a relic of the Middle Ages confronting the 21st century. I believe this is an apt description of the reality facing the opposition to this regime—a regime founded by Ayatollah Khomeini, whom I will refer to here as ‘the thief of the people’s revolution,’ as his opponents have dubbed him—an opposition that, day after day, is subjected to torture, oppression, imprisonment, and execution.”

The President of FEMO, Mr. Jean-François Legaret—former Mayor of the 1st Arrondissement of Paris—then paid tribute to the late President François Colcombet and explained the rationale behind this conference:

“I also wished to pay tribute to François Colcombet, the first President of FEMO—a man of profound conscience who defended our cause with fierce determination. In any case, I wish to express my deepest respect for, and pay tribute to, this distinguished figure. We are not gathered here to hold political rallies; rather, we are here to engage in collective reflection and propose solutions. And among the issues that demand our attention is the fact that, amid the intense current events dominating the headlines—the war in Ukraine and Russia, the conflict between Israel and Palestine—we are facing threats of war. As the President of the French Republic himself stated just a few days ago: ‘We are at war.’”

During this conference, distinguished experts took the floor to dismantle the entire disinformation apparatus deployed by the Iranian regime against its opposition.

Ms. Sara Nouri, a lawyer admitted to the Paris Bar, moderated the conference and explained in her opening remarks:

“One must clearly understand that the history of the mullahs’ regime over the past four decades is, in reality, a history of disinformation in its various dimensions. In fact, the Iranian regime uses three primary foreign policy tools: disinformation, terrorism, and hostage-taking. Disinformation—or the dissemination of false information—and its use by totalitarian regimes to achieve political objectives, particularly against their opponents, is nothing new.”

Ms. Ingrid Betancourt, a former candidate for the presidency of Colombia, spoke about the networks of experts infiltrated by and serving Iran:

“We must consider this within the broader context of current global events. Iran has implemented a strategy of conquest—not merely territorial, but also a ‘mental’ conquest of public opinion—in order to defend its interests. It is a nation with territorial ambitions for domination and vast financial resources. There is, obviously, oil. I believe it is important to point out that other autocratic regimes around the world—which possess this same financial power derived from oil (I am referring to Russia and Venezuela)—have adopted, and continue to adopt, Iran’s methods.”

Mr. Jean-Pierre Brard, former Member of Parliament and co-founder of the French Committee for a Democratic Iran (CFID), addressed the harassment—perpetrated by these networks—against parliamentarians who defend the Iranian people:

“As for attempts at infiltration by intelligence services—if you read The Art of War by the famous Chinese strategist, you will see that, as far back as 2,500 years ago, such tactics were already being employed to weaken an adversary. Naturally, however, these methods are constantly being reinvented.”

“Personally, I was very close to the former German Democratic Republic, and I therefore followed the Günter Guillaume affair closely—an episode that reminds us of certain things, of a time when the GDR’s intelligence services managed to infiltrate the highest levels, all the way to Willy Brandt.”

Mr. Gérard Vespierre, founder of Le Monde décrypté and Associate Researcher at FEMO, spoke about the manipulation of figures—manipulations that say a great deal about the absence of a genuine election in Iran:

“The theme of disinformation that brings us together today—this evening—begins with the theft of words. Our words are being stolen from us. An election fundamentally rests on the rule of law. If there is no rule of law in a country, there can be no elections. There may be ballots cast; there may be all kinds of other operations; but there cannot be elections.”

Ms. Sara Nouri, a lawyer admitted to the Paris Bar, addressed the instrumentalization of the judicial system for the purpose of manipulating foreign states:

“For my part, I will address a slightly more legal aspect of disinformation: the Iranian regime’s judicial charade, which serves as the foundation for its strategic plans. For, in reality, on July 29, 2023, the Tehran Criminal Court issued a public statement revealing the identities of 104 individuals linked to the main opposition movement.”

The President of FEMO, Mr. Jean-François Legaret, concluded the conference:

“There have been several historical layers to this organized and scientifically orchestrated deception. First of all, there was the nuclear agreement—that is true. And unfortunately, a number of officials and heads of state allowed themselves to be misled. Indeed, President Macron himself made statements regarding this nuclear agreement that I would characterize as imprudent.”