Europol has shut down more than 14,200 online posts, accounts, and links connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including restricting the IRGC’s main X account — which had amassed more than 150,000 followers — following the EU’s designation of the organization as a terrorist group in February.
The operation, carried out by Europol’s EU Internet Referral Unit between February 13 and April 28, 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, blogging sites, and independent websites. The content was distributed in Arabic, English, French, Persian, Spanish, and Indonesian.
Material identified during the operation included political messaging mixed with religious martyrdom narratives and AI-generated videos glorifying the IRGC and calling for revenge in the name of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Europol said in a statement on Monday that the IRGC used hosting service providers spread across multiple jurisdictions, including Russia and the United States, to keep websites operational despite law enforcement efforts.
Investigators also found evidence that cryptocurrency was used to finance digital operations, allowing the network to bypass traditional financial controls and international sanctions.
The EU officially designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization on February 19, giving law enforcement agencies the legal basis to act 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.
