Iran is not only enjoying the anti-Israel protests in the U.S., it is helping promote them online and fund the pro-Palestinian activists according to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

As I noted in testimony to the Congress in May, Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles. They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms and issuing threats. It is likely they will continue to rely on their intelligence services in these efforts, as well as Iran-based online influencers, to promote their narratives.

Are you shocked at this? I’m not. Iran is loving the fact that Joe Biden’s foreign policy is an abject failure. They’ve been watching all the anti-Israel protests on campus and around the country since October 8 and know the pickings are ripe for the protests to get even more virulent during both the RNC and DNC conventions. 

The DNI’s warning is serious. Yet I also have a major quibble with one of her assertions. 

Haines said she does not believe that US citizens rallying against Israel for a cease-fire in its war against Hamas are knowingly working against the country but rather are falling victim to Tehran’s “increasingly aggressive” foreign influence efforts.

“Americans who participate in protests are, in good faith, expressing their views on the conflict in Gaza – this intelligence does not indicate otherwise,” she said.

While Haines acknowledged that “the freedom to express diverse views, when done peacefully, is essential to our democracy,” she added, “It is also important to warn of foreign actors who seek to exploit our debate for their own purposes.”

Has she been hiding under a massive boulder these last ten months??!! Was she not paying attention to the campus protests or the group standing in a subway car in NYC and DEMANDING that Jews identify themselves? Were ANY of them acting in good faith?? That’s just outright horseshit. 

We had university presidents testify, to their shame, that they couldn’t decide if the protests were putting people in danger because “context.” Yet the DNI is here to tell us to watch out for Iran’s online and funding shenanigans while insisting the majority of protesters were just nicely voicing their opinions. 

The anti-Israel protestors, whether Iran is involved or not, WANT the protests to turn violent. And they celebrate when places like Harvard cave to their demands. 

As many predicted…

And as even the Crimson recognizes: “By reversing the charges against the student activists, Harvard may have further emboldened pro-Palestine student groups ahead of the return to campus in September.” pic.twitter.com/BaFjWaSefA

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) July 10, 2024

If there are any Harvard donors left, I’d suggest they take their money and leave.

What’s also noteworthy about this warning, is what the DNI leaves out. Namely that Iran has always been a financial and physical supporter of Hamas. 

Lorenzo Vidino, director of the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, said most protesters are free of any foreign support, certain countries undoubtedly have an interest in them. Some, such as Russia and China, are mainly interested in sowing dissent inside the U.S., while others are interested in both U.S. turmoil and support for Palestinian issues.

“Iran falls in the latter category,” Vidino said, “and it is not to be dismissed that Tehran has long been a supporter of Hamas and that some of the organizations that have played a role in the U.S. campus protests have links to Hamas.”

The protestors have received support and kudos from the Ayatollah himself. 

You have now formed a branch of the Resistance Front and have begun an honorable struggle in the face of your government's ruthless pressure – which openly supports Zionists.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 29, 2024

So don’t try and tell me that the anti-Israel protestors are just a wee bit excited. Nope. As I said above, they want violence and they want the Jewish people here and supporters to live in fear. 

One additional item to keep in mind regarding this warning. There are still people working in the Biden Administration who’ve been working to shape policy that is Iran-friendly. 

Thus, this warning about Iran’s funding of the protests, while not a surprise, comes a little late in the game. 

Feature Photo Credit: US dollars in front of Iran flag via iStock, cropped and modified