Europol busts thousands of IRGC online accounts across 19 countries

BRUSSELS — European law enforcement authorities have dismantled a large-scale online propaganda network linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as part of a coordinated crackdown targeting extremist content across digital platforms. Europol, the EU’s central hub for fighting serious international crime and terrorism, said it took down more than 14,200 online posts, accounts and links tied to the IRGC after the EU designated the Iranian organization as a terrorist group in February. It also restricted the IRGC’s main X account, which had accumulated more than 150,000 followers. The operation, carried out by Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit between 13 February and 28 April, involved law enforcement authorities from 19 countries. Investigators said the IRGC had built a highly structured digital network spanning major social media platforms, streaming services, blog-hosting sites and independent websites. Content was distributed in Arabic, English, French, Persian, Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia. Material identified during the operation included political messaging intertwined with religious martyrdom narratives and AI-generated videos praising the IRGC and calling for retaliation in the name of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Europol said in a statement on Monday the IRGC used hosting providers spread across multiple jurisdictions, including Russia and the US, to keep websites operational despite enforcement efforts. Investigators also found evidence that cryptocurrency was used to finance the digital operations, allowing the network to circumvent traditional financial controls and international sanctions. The EU formally designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization on 19 February, giving law enforcement the legal basis to move against its online infrastructure. Europol said the operation was part of its broader ProtectEU Internal Security Strategy and that cooperation with technology companies and member states would continue. Further details on the methods and tactics uncovered are expected to appear in Europol’s upcoming EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report. Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the US all took part in the operation.