Overview
- Iran imposed a near-total internet shutdown last week, after which the flagged Scottish-branded profiles stopped posting within hours.
- The accounts, including "Fiona" and "Jake," had recently pushed dramatic false claims about crises in Scotland with no independent verification.
- X transparency indicators previously linked the cluster to the Iranian App Store with traffic routed through European VPNs.
- A similar synchronized silence occurred during Iran’s June 2025 blackout, when Cyabra estimated that about 26% of profiles in the independence conversation were fake.
- A UK review into foreign interference led by Philip Rycroft is under way with findings due in March, as officials highlight Iranian activity targeting the Scottish debate.