How US-Funded NGOs and Media Turned Iran’s Protests Into a Regime Change Campaign
Fri Jan 23 2026
Western media portrayed Iran’s protests as a democratic uprising crushed by state violence. But behind the headlines lies a familiar regime change playbook.
In this MintCast episode, Mnar Adley is joined from Tehran by Seyed Mohammad Marandi, professor at the University of Tehran, to examine how U.S.-funded NGOs, intelligence-linked narratives, and corporate media helped reframe economic protests into a foreign-backed destabilization campaign.
The conversation breaks down the role of Human Rights Activists in Iran, its funding by the National Endowment for Democracy, and the historical continuity between today’s information war and past CIA-led regime change operations in Iran.
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Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.
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Western media portrayed Iran’s protests as a democratic uprising crushed by state violence. But behind the headlines lies a familiar regime change playbook. In this MintCast episode, Mnar Adley is joined from Tehran by Seyed Mohammad Marandi, professor at the University of Tehran, to examine how U.S.-funded NGOs, intelligence-linked narratives, and corporate media helped reframe economic protests into a foreign-backed destabilization campaign. The conversation breaks down the role of Human Rights Activists in Iran, its funding by the National Endowment for Democracy, and the historical continuity between today’s information war and past CIA-led regime change operations in Iran. Support the show MintPress News is a fiercely independent. You can support us by becoming a member on Patreon, bookmarking and whitelisting us, and by subscribing to our social media channels, including Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to MintCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. Also, be sure to check out the new Behind the Headlines channel on YouTube and subscribe to rapper Lowkey’s new video interview/podcast series, The Watchdog.