This July 12, 2026, CAMERA Op-Ed by Jennifer Kouzi appeared in Jerusalem News Syndicate.
This past week in Iran showcased the funeral procession for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The regime permitted several hundred journalists to come and cover the event. They were promptly used as regime pawns, ensuring the Western world’s trusted news organizations pumped out their propaganda.
News consumers deserve honesty from media organizations, including, or maybe especially, when they cover regimes like the Islamic Republic. The lack of transparency was noteworthy, as the press coverage did not match Iranian social-media accounts of how few came to mourn Khamenei from July 5 to July 9.
Iran expert Beni Sabti at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) told CAMERA that the funeral procession was an opportunity for the new regime, under Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, to project strength.
Mojtaba Khamenei has so far only appeared in the form of a cardboard ayatollah due to reports of him sustaining injuries from the same attack that killed his father. Despite this, or perhaps because he has not been seen since Feb. 28, Iran desperately wants to exhibit fortitude following its claimed defeat of the United States and Israel. The appearance of unprecedented numbers of funeral-goers would convey national unity, a regime talking point, according to Sabti. It is a key component of the regime’s strategy.
The Western media obliged.
Read the rest of CAMERA’s Op-Ed at JNS.