This EdgeTheory Narrative Intelligence report examines the 2026 Iranian protest cycle through the lens of information power, narrative competition, and foreign influence—revealing how perceptions of instability, legitimacy, and escalation are actively shaped in the global information environment.
Drawing on geospatial analysis, narrative attribution, and network detection across websites, social media, RSS feeds, and X, the report maps how narratives around economic collapse, state violence, foreign interference, and regime change propagate and reinforce one another. The analysis traces how state media, diaspora influencers, foreign-aligned information actors, and automated networks interact—using emotional framing and coordinated amplification to shape public understanding and policy risk.
Rather than treating protests as isolated events, the report shows how narrative dominance has become a decisive factor in crisis escalation, influencing legitimacy and international response long before ground truth can be independently verified.