Analysts Warn of Cognitive Warfare Impact on U.S. Iran Strategy
Hamlet Yousef has characterized U.S. domestic debates over Iran as an underappreciated front in cognitive warfare, arguing that foreign adversaries exploit American political cycles to advance strategic goals.
Yousef argued in a public LinkedIn post that the U.S. public lacks patience for long-term strategic conflicts 1. He asserted that the Iranian regime operates with a “martyr’s mindset” and is willing to endure ambiguity while the U.S. electorate focuses on short-term economic indicators and partisan narratives 1.
Yousef claimed that leaders in Iran, China and Russia understand this dynamic and are “effectively using Cognitive Warfare as a subset of irregular warfare against us” 1.
NATO’s Allied Command Transformation defines cognitive warfare as the use of public opinion, psychological operations and legal influence to achieve victory 2. The concept focuses on altering how target populations think and process information rather than strictly controlling physical territory 2.
Yousef’s commentary responded to a separate LinkedIn post by Dr. Jake Sotiriadis, a former Air Force intelligence officer and national security strategist 1. Sotiriadis shared a segment from a May 2026 appearance on Fox News Live with Mike Emanuel 3.
According to Fox News, the segment featured Sotiriadis and Tom Sauer, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, discussing the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict 3. The network stated the discussion covered Iran’s response to a peace proposal, the critical importance of the Strait of Hormuz for global supply and U.S. strategy to counter Iran’s nuclear program 3.
In his LinkedIn post sharing the segment, Sotiriadis wrote that Washington is attempting to balance three increasingly tense strategic objectives: keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and avoiding a prolonged Middle Eastern war 4.
“That is the strategic impasse confronting Washington—and the choices are becoming harder, not easier,” Sotiriadis wrote 4.
In a subsequent public post elaborating on his analysis, Sotiriadis argued that Iran is seeking to institutionalize permanent leverage over the Strait of Hormuz as part of a post-war order, rather than simply responding tactically to current conflicts 4. He also framed the Iran crisis as inseparable from broader U.S.-China competition, noting that Beijing relies heavily on energy transiting the strait 4.
Sotiriadis questioned the ultimate goal of U.S. pressure campaigns against Tehran.
“Pressure, sanctions, and military strikes can constrain ideology. They do not necessarily change it,” Sotiriadis wrote. “Are we trying to change Iran’s behavior, or are we ultimately trying to change Iran? Until we answer that question clearly, we will keep returning to the same dilemma every few years” 4.
Visible public comments on Sotiriadis’s post praised his strategic framing, including views that Iran represents the immediate challenge while China remains the long-term strategic focus 4. Saeideh Fard, the one visible commenter on Yousef’s post, wrote, “100% with you” 1. These comments represent their authors’ views, not independently established evidence.
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