The present study aims to analyze the psychological operations tactics employed by the Instagram page of the Manoto satellite television network against the governance of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the social unrest of autumn 2022. This research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach and employs an expert-based qualitative content analysis method. The research corpus consists of content published on Manoto’s Instagram page within the specified time frame, from which ten prominent posts were purposefully selected based on view counts and levels of audience engagement. The data were collected and analyzed through the evaluation of these contents by twenty experts in the fields of media studies, public opinion, and psychological operations.

The findings indicate that Manoto’s Instagram page strategically deployed a set of psychological operations tactics across strategic, operational, and tactical levels with the aim of exerting cognitive and emotional influence on Iranian public opinion. These tactics primarily focused on emotional provocation, the induction of perceived inefficacy, dehumanization of governmental and security forces, and the intensification of social polarization.

The results underscore the necessity of strengthening media ecology analysis, enhancing analytical capabilities in monitoring adversarial media, and adopting proactive media policies to effectively confront cognitive warfare.