A SCOTTISH Government minister has responded to claims that dozens of anonymous pro-independence social media accounts have links to an Iranian bot network.
External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson addressed the claims which were first reported in the UK Defence Journal.
The outlet said a number of small-scale accounts on Twitter/X "abruptly went silent" after Israeli strikes on Iran, leading to suggestions that they were part of an Iranian bot network.
During cabinet questions being put to Robertson on Wednesday, Tory MSP Murdo Fraser asked: "Does it not concern the Scottish Government that its central policy objective is being actively backed by the terrorist state of Iran as part of its campaign to weaken this United Kingdom?"
Robertson replied: "I think Mr Fraser should be very careful about seeking to smear people in this country who believe that this country should be a sovereign state.
"It is a position held by the majority of people elected to this parliament, and I think it's beneath the member to seek to smear a majority in this parliament, notwithstanding the differences that we have on this issue."
During attacks launched by Israel, Iranian military and cyber infrastructure were hit with an internet blackout affecting 95% of national connectivity.
In an editor's note on the original article, it states: "This article does not claim that Scottish independence is a foreign plot, nor does it suggest that support for independence is illegitimate, inauthentic, or driven by anything other than sincere political conviction.
"The focus is not on genuine activists or grassroots communities, but on documented attempts by Iranian-linked actors to exploit real political movements in the UK for strategic advantage."
