‘Regime-change’ lobbyist cited as Time source on Iran’s riot death toll
A report by the Dissident, an anti-propaganda news outlet, has revealed that Time magazine relied on a notorious lobbyist for regime change in Iran as the source for its claim that 30,000 people were killed during recent foreign-backed riots in the country.
The Monday report identified Time’s sole and highly questionable source as Amir Parasta, a German-Iranian eye surgeon and a close associate of Reza Pahlavi.
Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former Shah, has received substantial Israeli and US backing for his campaign to overthrow the Iranian government.
According to the report, Parasta has actively used social media to amplify Pahlavi’s calls for regime change and has participated in numerous meetings and events alongside Pahlavi, advocating for potential US military intervention in Iran.
The Dissident questioned Time’s professionalism for basing its claims about a massive two-day death toll, allegedly resulting from riots and terrorist acts on January 8 and 9, on accounts provided by such a lobbyist.
Parasta had said in an Instagram post that he received confidential information from two senior Iranian health ministry officials, indicating hospitals had recorded 30,304 deaths as of January 23.
The report noted that other mainstream outlets, including DW, Times of Israel, New York Post, Haaretz, and the Times of London, have also cited Parasta as an authority on the protester death toll.
These claims, the report concluded, are part of a recurring pattern used by Time and other outlets to “manufacture consent for war” against Iran.
That comes as Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed the circulating claims of 30,000 fatalities in a Sunday post on his X account. He compared the propaganda tactic to the “Big Lie” method employed in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, which relies on constant repetition.
Official Iranian government figures show that more than 3,000 people were killed in riots and terrorist acts across various cities and towns in early January.
The violence erupted after peaceful protests in Iranian bazaars, where traders called for government action to halt the devaluation of the Iranian rial. The riots escalated on January 8 and continued for several days, causing extensive damage to public and private property, including the widespread destruction of shops, government institutions, and public service facilities.
Iranian authorities have said that US and Israeli intelligence agencies were directly involved, providing funding, training, and media support to the rioters and armed terrorists operating on the streets.
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