On January 9, 2023, "Sepah Cybery," a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), published an animated video threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and top U.S. defense officials in reprisal for the assassination of former IRGC-Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. Drone Strike on January 3, 2020.[1]
Released days after the third anniversary of Soleimani's death, the one-minute-long video depicted an evidence board with photos of former President Trump and nine top U.S. defense officials.
The U.S. officials shown on the evidence board included former National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley; former NSC MENA affairs director Robert Greenway; U.S. Cyber Command Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone; former Deputy National Security Advisor for MENA Affairs Victoria Coates; former Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth; Joint Chiefs of Staff director Lt. Gen. Andrew Poppas; and former U.S. CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
The video also featured footage of these officials, images of various weapons (including drones, guns, explosives, syringes, and poison), footage and images from crime scenes, and a caption that reads: "The perpetrators of general Soleimani martyrdom will be punished for their actions. We will determine how and when to punish. Coming soon..." The video ends with an image of the IRGC logo and listed the IRGC's official Telegram handle.[2]
The "Sepah_Cybery" Telegram channel was created before 2020. With over 307, 220 subscribers, the channel's description section notes that it provides "fast and reliable war news, global developments, and IRGC news."
The channel also frequently shares video clips taken from state-run Iranian and Russian news outlets, such as Tasnim News and Russia Today, and expresses support for U.S. adversaries and competitors, including Russia and China. Almost all the channel's posts are in Farsi, suggesting that it primarily targets a domestic Iranian audience.
"Sepah_Cybery" has also been referenced by several mainstream U.S. media outlets; for example, The New York Times mentioned the channel alongside state-run Iranian media outlets in a November 2020 article reporting on the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist.[3]
To view the clip, click below:
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An evidence board featuring "target" photos of former President Trump and top U.S. defense officials.
Assorted weaponry featured in the video alongside images and videos of former President Trump and top U.S. defense officials.
