Ambiguity Surrounding the Identity of Perpetrators and Instigators of the Attack on Malia Obama's Instagram Page

A widespread and unexpected attack by a group of Persian-speaking users on the Instagram page of Malia Obama, daughter of former U.S. President Barack Obama, has raised questions about the identity of the perpetrators and possible instigators of this action. The attacks, which were conducted in Persian and took the form of comments on the daughter of the U.S. President's page, often contained 'offensive' and 'abusive' language. Conservative media have described these attacks as 'jokes and pranks,' with 'Young Journalists Club' reporting that the comments on Barack Obama's personal page resulted from an 'Instagram session' of some Iranians on his page. This news site, affiliated with the state broadcasting organization, has published several reports on this matter since the incident began and has reported that Malia Obama's Instagram page has been set to 'private' following these attacks. This onslaught has also provoked reactions from individuals such as actress Mahnaz Afshar, who urged the attacking Iranian users to leave Ms. Obama's Instagram page, stating that 'this behavior is not appropriate here.' After some Iranian users attempted to comfort Malia Obama and sent her apology messages, Malia shared some of these messages on her personal page, writing, 'I have come to realize that there are good Iranians too. To those who sent apology messages, I say that I accept their apologies.' Regardless of Malia Obama's acceptance of the apology, the questions regarding the reasons, methods, and identities of the instigators or perpetrators of these possibly 'coordinated' and 'organized' attacks have become one of the most important topics discussed in the Persian-speaking virtual space in recent days. Some users on their personal pages have identified Fars News Agency as one of the 'instigators' of the attackers against the Obama pages. Others have raised questions about the identity of these attackers and their possible connections to the security and intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic. Some have also noted the coincidence of these virtual attacks with the first anniversary of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 1+5 group, naming 'concerned individuals' supportive of the Islamic Republic as the perpetrators. Although these questions and criticisms continue to circulate on social media, no clear answers have yet been provided, and it is not definitively known whether these attacks were premeditated. However, the scale of these attacks and their timing with the anniversary of the signing of the nuclear agreement intensify speculation about their organized nature. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij Organization, along with their active media and online substructures, are among the entities that have come under scrutiny regarding these questions. These two military forces are under scrutiny because the IRGC has announced years ago that it has expanded its cohesive and targeted activities on the internet, and the Basij has also acted as the main arm of this military institution on the internet by launching dozens of websites and social networks. In Azar 1393 (December 2014), the Basij Organization launched its largest communication and security network called 'Shabab' in 44,000 locations across Iran, although little information is available about how this network operates. The 'Shabab' website, belonging to this security-communication network, currently oversees part of the activities, coordination, and missions of Basij forces across the country. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of the Basij Organization, has referred to this network as the largest internal information network and the first domestic intelligence network in Iran. Membership in this network is mandatory for Basij bases, and each of these bases must publish their security, political, cultural, and social reports within this network. The 'Shabab' network also has a messaging system that serves as a communication channel among Basij forces. Alongside the media conglomerate 'Atlas,' the 'Shabab' network has become two communication, media, and virtual arms of the IRGC and the Basij in 'soft warfare' and influencing the virtual space. The 'Atlas Media Complex' is another one of the largest media cartels of the IRGC that has been responsible for launching a significant number of conservative websites in 'soft warfare' since 1388 (2009). Websites such as 'Borhan,' 'Nasim Online,' 'Ninth Parliament,' 'Young Officers of Soft War,' 'Ishraf,' 'Wave of Law,' 'Be-Dokht,' 'Didar Media,' and 'Iran Nuclear' are among those launched and supported by this complex. There is little clear information about the identity of the founders of this media complex and its objectives. It is said that the IRGC is the main investor of this complex, but no report regarding this affiliation has been published by any of the conservative media, nor has the IRGC denied this association. The Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC, known as 'Gordab,' is the third security and intelligence entity of the IRGC that has recently begun its activities in the virtual space. This center is one of the entities affiliated with the Cyber Defense Command of the IRGC, which has declared its duties as 'monitoring and investigating organized terrorist, espionage, economic, and social crimes in the virtual space.' This center has been active since 1386 (2007) in coordination with the judiciary and has published numerous reports of its involvement in internet attacks and identification of virtual space activities. 'Shabab,' the 'Atlas Media Complex,' and the Organized Crime Investigation Center of the IRGC 'Gordab' are among the centers that have come under scrutiny due to their financial, organizational, and equipment capabilities and active human resources in the virtual space during the attack on Malia Obama's Instagram page. Previously, multiple reports of attacks by Iran's 'Cyber Army,' which, despite the lack of sufficient information about it, appears to include some trained forces loyal to the Islamic Republic, have been published regarding several American, Saudi, Chinese websites, as well as some media supporting the Green Movement like Jaras and Amir Kabir Newsletter. 'Defense Tech,' a military and security institute in the United States, stated in 2008 that Iran has one of the five strongest cyber forces in the world operating under the IRGC. The IRGC and Basij, just as they have never acknowledged these cyber attacks against their opponents and critics, have neither responded to the questions regarding their possible roles in the attack on Malia Obama's Instagram page nor denied their involvement in these attacks.