Iranian state-aligned media and senior regime figures have again invoked supernatural and conspiratorial language in describing the conflict with Israel, with recent and past material referring to a “war of occult sciences”, “Zionist sorcery,” jinn, and Jewish talismans. The theme has also surfaced in Iranian claims that Israel used “occult and supernatural spirits” during the 12-day war.
The clearest recent example appeared in a Mehr News Agency report published this week, which said the confrontation with Israel extends beyond military, cyber, diplomatic, and cognitive fronts to what it called a “war of occult sciences.” The rhetoric echoes earlier material preserved on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official website, where Iran’s enemies are described as coming from among both “jinn and humans.”
Occult language enters the public line
The Mehr article did not present evidence for supernatural warfare. It used the term as part of a broader description of what it called a multidimensional struggle against Israel, alongside military, cyber, diplomatic, and psychological fronts.
That language fits a wider pattern in the Islamic Republic’s messaging. In a March 2020 speech later highlighted on his official website, Khamenei said Iran faced enemies from among both “jinn and humans,” adding that foreign security services work together against the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei’s site expanded the theme
The motif was later expanded in a follow-up interview published on Khamenei’s website. In that interview, Ayatollah Ahmad Abedi said “the Jews, and in particular the Zionists” pursue metaphysical matters extensively and asserted that Mossad engages in such practices as well.
The remark gave ideological cover to a line that has since resurfaced in regime-linked commentary. It also helps explain why conspiratorial claims about sorcery, talismans, and supernatural manipulation continue to appear in Iranian discourse during periods of stress and confrontation.
Fars commentary framed the conflict as a hidden spiritual struggle
The motif also appeared in a Fars commentary titled “Invisible battle: Zionist sorcery, Shiite supplication”. The piece described Israel in terms of sorcery, Kabbalah, talismans, and ritual practices, while presenting Shiite prayer and religious devotion as Iran’s answer.
The article read as commentary rather than straight reporting, but it showed how openly such themes can appear on a major regime-linked platform.
The supernatural framing moved beyond abstract theology after the 2025 war. Abdollah Ganji, a senior Tehran figure and former editor of the IRGC-linked daily Javan, claimed that papers bearing what he described as Jewish symbols had been found on the streets of Tehran after the fighting.
What could not be verified
Several more dramatic allegations that have circulated online in recent days, including claims about blood rituals, a special propaganda newspaper, and nationwide live exorcism broadcasts, could not be independently verified by the Post.
However, the documented record reveals that references to jinn, talismans, "occult sciences," and "Zionist sorcery" are not isolated incidents. They form part of a recurring rhetorical pattern that resurfaces in Iranian discourse during moments of military and political pressure.