In the aftermath of a 12-day war between Iran and Israel, an extraordinary narrative has emerged from within Iran’s political and religious establishment: some officials now claim that Israel is deploying supernatural forces—specifically jinns and Jewish talismans—as part of its warfare arsenal.
This claim, while sounding fantastical, has been echoed not only on social media but also by political advisors, senior clerics, and security figures, giving it unusual prominence within Iran’s public discourse.
The controversy intensified when Abdullah Ganji, an advisor to the mayor of Tehran, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that papers inscribed with Hebrew talismans had been found on the streets of the Iranian capital following the conflict. Though no photographic evidence accompanied his post, the claim rapidly spread across social media, triggering heated debate.
The narrative further gained traction when images began circulating of what appeared to be a Star of David carved into a dirt field near the city of Khomein. While some interpreted this as evidence of Israeli occult infiltration, Iran’s state-run Hamshahri newspaper later clarified that the markings were remnants of a previous Revolutionary Guard military exercise.
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Despite the debunking, more dramatic stories followed. A social media figure known as “Sheikh Mojtaba” claimed that a war martyr, Rezvanpour, was discovered with a talisman bearing Jewish symbols in his clothing—suggesting that Israeli forces had used mystical tracking to locate and kill him.
In Tehran, residents reported eerie calls to prayer being broadcast at abnormal hours from newly erected minarets, amplifying a city-wide sense of mystical unease.
Adding to the mystique, the popular Instagram page “Dezh” alleged that from the second week of the war onward, mysterious papers and unidentified symbols were being found scattered throughout Tehran and its outskirts. According to the page, Iran’s intelligence agencies responded by summoning seasoned incantation writers—not only to rule out their involvement in crafting the talismans but also to enlist their expertise in decoding and neutralizing them.
This fusion of spiritual lore and national security concern isn’t new in Iran’s political rhetoric. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has often invoked supernatural elements in his speeches. As early as 2011, Khamenei referred to battling “Satan, jinns, and humans,” urging Iranians to draw on their divine reserves. A year later, he declared that Iran’s enemies included “jinns and humans” collaborating together.
In 2014, he expanded this view: “Human and genie Satans help each other. One of the mistakes is relying only on visible, material factors while ignoring the unseen.” By 2020, Khamenei directly linked these metaphysical forces to global espionage, stating that “genie enemies and human enemies” were cooperating through foreign intelligence networks.
Some within Iran’s religious elite have attempted to rationalize these claims. Ahmad Abedi, a seminary professor and interpreter of Khamenei’s views, acknowledged the existence of jinns in Islamic theology but stressed their limited power. However, he alleged that individuals with “weak faith” are more vulnerable to “Satan and genie inspirations” and accused Jews—and particularly Zionists—of engaging deeply in supernatural practices, including through espionage agencies like Mossad.
This theme of mystical warfare found earlier political expression during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency. In the wake of the disputed 2009 elections, hardline cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi claimed that Ahmadinejad had fallen under a magical influence. That era saw the judiciary arrest multiple individuals accused of “fortune-telling” and “genie-catching.”
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Since 2021, however, supernatural suspicions have been increasingly directed toward Israel. Revolutionary Guard-affiliated writer Mohammad Bagheri accused Israel of systematically using “magic, talismans, genie devils, and Kabbalah teachings” in intelligence operations. His novel, From Pemba to Mariana, explores this blend of conventional espionage and spiritual warfare.
In 2024, Mojtaba Azizi, the Friday prayer leader in Varamin, went further, alleging that both the CIA and Mossad utilize jinns. He even suggested that the Islamic Republic should consider countering with “believer jinns,” adding that mystical warfare could work both ways.
Following the assassination of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, professor Mostafa Karimi echoed this view, stating, “Israel has a serious history of subjugating jinns,” and that top Israeli rabbis possess arcane knowledge. Quranic scholar Saeed Shams reinforced this perspective, arguing that “Jews are more committed than others in talisman work and genie subjugation,” though he emphasized that the power of Islamic prayer could nullify their efforts.
One of the most prominent voices amplifying this narrative is Ali Akbar Raeefipour, head of the conspiracy-prone Masaf Institute. He claimed that Israel’s Mossad may have an entire supernatural warfare division—possibly titled the “General Directorate of Jinns”—and accused the agency of using mind-reading jinns during past conflicts, including the 2006 Lebanon war.
Not all voices within Iran support this supernatural turn in national security discourse. Seminary professor Mohammad Taqi Fazel Meybodi dismissed the trend as dangerous superstition. “Some people promote these ideas to distance society from scientific realities and spread irrationality,” he warned.
Public reaction has been a mixture of ridicule and reflection. Writer Ali Bozorgian mocked the theory, quipping, “You wake up and realize the Jinns of Karaj have been defeated by the Jinns of Tel Aviv.” Others on social media questioned the practicality of blaming espionage on jinns when real-world issues—such as the deportation of Afghan migrants or the execution of border smugglers—persist.
As Iran’s leadership oscillates between political theology and public paranoia, the line between religious myth and national strategy appears increasingly blurred.
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