{"id":321862,"date":"2026-01-20T07:16:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=321862"},"modified":"2026-01-22T07:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T07:19:49","slug":"manufacturing-consent-how-foreign-backed-iran-riots-were-reframed-for-western-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=321862","title":{"rendered":"Manufacturing consent: How foreign-backed Iran riots were reframed for Western consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Sudan \u2013 Press TV Jan 19, 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Before Iran had even hit the headlines, you could already see the script being loaded into the teleprompter by the power-hungry war-mongers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First came the soft focus, usual Western media framing: \u201cPeaceful protesters\u201d versus \u201cthe regime.\u201d Then the numbers start doing backflips.<\/p>\n

Then the experts arrived, usually the same conveyor belt of exiled political operators, Washington think-tanks, and so-called \u201chuman rights monitors\u201d offering figures that can\u2019t be independently verified during an internet blackout.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m old enough to have seen this narrative play out with Iraq, Libya, Syria and also Venezuela.<\/p>\n

And finally, once the emotional temperature is high enough, the policy conclusion is offered.\u00a0 The Iranian people are suffering, say Western media, and therefore force is justified.<\/p>\n

At this point, we cross into truly insane logic. The Iranian people, dealing with an economic stranglehold created by sanctions, must be bombed by the same people imposing the sanctions.<\/p>\n

This is the unspoken but unmistakable conclusion always lurking at the centre of so-called impartial Western coverage. Because if the West really cared about the Iranian people, they\u2019d have lifted the sanctions long ago. It\u2019s not rocket science.<\/p>\n

Hardship is not treated by the West, however, as a reason to lift sanctions or use diplomacy. It\u2019s framed as proof that a country is broken unless external powers intervene. Economic pain becomes evidence. Civil unrest becomes permission.<\/p>\n

The irony, of course,\u00a0is that Iran is home to a rich civilization, thousands of years old, which has made immeasurable contributions to the world, predating the birth of Western nations.<\/p>\n

The idea that the same powers in the West that have always undermined Iran\u2019s sovereignty, now suddenly care about the human rights of Iranians, is utterly absurd.<\/p>\n

And it isn\u2019t analysis. It\u2019s not even poor <\/em>analysis. It\u2019s narrative engineering.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most powerful example of this was by the BBC. During its flagship show, Newsnight, the BBC rolled footage<\/a> of protestors rallying in support <\/em>of the Islamic Republic and the government while suggesting they were opposition.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

From \u201clet\u2019s help the protesters\u201d to \u201cthis is a religious war\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsey Graham can\u2019t keep his story straight \u2014 too busy advancing an Israeli-assigned mission: Regime change in Iran.<\/p>\n

Worth noting: One of the largest Jewish communities in the region lives in Iran. pic.twitter.com\/zsPlFs5oQm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Press TV \uf53b (@PressTV) January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n