Middle East ChatGPT Blocks Iranian Influence Campaign Exploiting Scottish Independence Debate

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ChatGPT Blocks Iranian Influence Campaign Exploiting Scottish Independence Debate

 

A covert Iranian influence operation using artificial intelligence to stoke division in the UK and US has been disrupted by OpenAI. The company behind ChatGPT confirmed that it had cut off access to its tools for a network of propagandists operating under the alias "Storm-2035," which had been generating persuasive political posts in English and Spanish using prompts written in Persian.

 

According to OpenAI’s June threat report, the Storm-2035 network was likely controlled by Iranian operatives posing as ordinary citizens from the UK, US, Ireland, and Venezuela. These accounts sought to inflame already contentious political issues, with a particular focus on Scottish independence and Irish unification. The campaign aimed to deepen divisions by aligning these causes with support for the Iranian regime, raising concerns about foreign manipulation of Western political discourse.

 

The crackdown came amid claims that a sudden disappearance of pro-independence social media accounts followed Israeli strikes on Tehran earlier this month. During a heated exchange in the Scottish Parliament, Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser challenged SNP cabinet secretary Angus Robertson about the potential foreign backing of the independence movement.

 

“Are you concerned that your central policy objective is being actively backed by the terrorist state of Iran, as part of its campaign to weaken this United Kingdom?” Fraser asked.

 

Robertson responded sharply, cautioning against political smearing. “Fraser should be very careful about seeking to smear people in this country who believe that this country should be a sovereign state,” he said.

 

Despite the OpenAI intervention, some fake accounts linked to the Storm-2035 operation remain active. These accounts continue to promote pro-independence messages while praising the Iranian government. One such post, from a user with a stereotypical Scottish name and a generic avatar, declared: “The Iranian people triumphed through unity and resilience against two nuclear superpowers. Why shouldn’t we follow their example to win our independence from the British monarchy?”

 

Cybersecurity experts have long warned that state-sponsored disinformation networks often focus on wedge issues to attract followers and later introduce unrelated political narratives. The sudden appearance of pro-Tehran content among Scottish nationalist accounts, which rarely express interest in Middle Eastern geopolitics, appears to be an effort to blend unrelated ideologies for propaganda purposes.

 

The Storm-2035 campaign did not restrict itself to Scotland. OpenAI’s investigation found that the network also pushed narratives supporting Irish unity, Palestinian statehood, and Latino rights in the US, while echoing Iranian propaganda. These accounts typically displayed suspicious behavior, including following hundreds of users while having few followers, and using profile pictures lifted from websites like Pinterest — often showing young women with their faces obscured by phones.

 

In its report, OpenAI stated: “The threat actor was prompting ChatGPT in Persian and generating batches of short comments in English and Spanish. The short comments were then posted on X by a series of likely inauthentic accounts that posed as residents of the target countries.”

 

It noted the growing difficulty of distinguishing real from fake users online, particularly when large language models like ChatGPT are exploited to create content that sounds convincingly native. By blocking Storm-2035’s access, OpenAI hopes to reduce the spread of this type of AI-assisted disinformation.

 

While artificial intelligence can help users communicate across languages and cultures, its misuse by hostile states remains a growing challenge for tech firms, governments, and civil society alike.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-06-30

 

 

[Purdey]

Not a big surprise. It is up to Scotland what they want as long as they don't beg the rest of the UK for financial support.

[JonnyF]

Iran will always target stupid people.

 

It's natural they would seek support from the Scottish Independence movement. I'm sure Strugeon herself has an Iranian flag alongside her Palestinian flag in whatever luxury campervan she is hiding in.