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Iran's war propaganda includes memes directed at Trump

View original article → Mar 28, 2026, 9:02 AM

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+ Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating.

− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Iran’s war propaganda includes memes directed at Trump Iran has been sending not only missiles around the region but also trolling tweets and videos around the internet.

+ These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. Carrie Kahn An Iranian AI-generated propaganda video.

− It's the latest in global diplomacy.

+ hide caption TEL AVIV, Israel — A new front has opened in the war with Iran — the virtual one.

− World Iran's war propaganda includes memes directed at Trump March 26, 20265:29 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Carrie Kahn Iran’s war propaganda includes memes directed at Trump Listen · 4:30 4:30 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5760944/nx-s1-9705008" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Iran has been sending not only missiles around the region but also trolling tweets and videos around the internet.

+ Alongside drones and missiles, Iran is now firing off something else: memes.

− It's the latest in global diplomacy. Sponsor Message AILSA CHANG, HOST: A new front has opened up in the war with Iran - the virtual one. Along with launching drones and missiles, Iran is now firing off memes, and President Trump is the regime's favorite target. War propaganda is as old as battles of centuries past, but as NPR's Carrie Kahn reports, in 2026, it's hitting a wider audience at a furious pace.

+ President Trump is the regime's favorite target.

− (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) AI-GENERATED VOICE: (Vocalizing). CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Trolling Trump is a new Iranian regime pastime.

+ War propaganda is as old as conflict itself, but in 2026, it's moving faster, reaching further and hitting harder than ever.

− It shifted into high gear soon after the start of the war when the White House put out a controversial media mash-up, mixing NFL tackle highlights with missile strike footage in Iran.

+ Since the war began, Iran's messaging apparatus has rapidly zeroed in on Trump, turning him into a central target in a sprawling, modern information campaign.

− (SOUNDBITE OF THUNDER CLAPPING) KAHN: Iran's retort features an animated Lego multiverse, where Iranian soldiers avenge miniature Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bombs.

+ In one video, Iran depicts an animated Lego-style multiverse with Iranian soldiers avenging attacks by miniature Lego versions of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

− (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) KAHN: The AI-generated Iranian missiles hit targets throughout the Middle East, sending boxy Lego figure scrambling - from tiny orthodox Jewish men in Israel to Saudi sheikhs in the Gulf.

+ AI-generated missiles rain down across the Middle East, sending blocky Lego figures scrambling — from Orthodox Jewish men in Israel to Saudi sheikhs in the Gulf. Other videos lean into absurdity.

− Iran's vast state media apparatus has taken up trolling in official communiques, too, and in English, like this recent dry delivery of Trump's trademark phrases by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

+ A Trump-like character appears as a Teletubby in an American flag-themed outfit, sitting in the Oval Office and playing with toy fighter jets over a map of the Middle East.

− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) EBRAHIM ZOLFAGHARI: (Speaking Persian).

+ Trolling Trump has become a new Iranian regime pastime.

− Hey Trump, you are fired.

+ And it's not just confined to social media.

− You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

+ Iran's vast state media apparatus has adopted the same tone in official communications — often in English.

− KAHN: Trolling has long been in grassroots internet culture for more than 15 years, says Whitney Phillips, who teaches media ethics at the University of Oregon.

+ In one example, Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari delivers a dry recitation of Trump's own trademark phrase: "Hey, Trump, you are fired.

− But she says with the rise of Donald Trump, it's catapulted into global politics. WHITNEY PHILLIPS: This is the language in which Trump speaks, and so this is the language in which world leaders are speaking to him. KAHN: Like the IRGC spokesman Zolfaghari, who often invokes the president's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his notorious island. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) ZOLFAGHARI: A reminder to the corrupted island man - the ground and the map of the war (ph) is in our hands. KAHN: Former head of Iran's National Security Council Ali Larijani also liked to troll Trump with Epstein Island references to.

+ You are familiar with this sentence.

− He was assassinated last week in a targeted Israeli airstrike.

+ Thank you for your attention to this matter." The messaging often goes further.

− The real experience of war is getting lost in the focus-grabbing and income-generating world of memes, says Emerson Brooking of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab.

+ Zolfaghari and others have repeatedly invoked the president's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — as well as his notorious island — in pointed, backhanded references. "A reminder to the corrupted Island Man: The ground and map of the world is in our hands." The head of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, used similar Epstein-related taunts before he was assassinated last week in a targeted Israeli airstrike.

− EMERSON BROOKING: It's this content and commodification of war - war becoming part of the attention economy - which I think is another very weird, discomfiting experience that so many of us are going through and feeling right now. KAHN: According to Iranian health officials, more than 1,500 civilians have been killed there, as well as at least 14 U.S.

+ This wave of content didn't emerge in a vacuum.

− servicemen. Brooking says Iranian propaganda is not new, but with its flair for Trump trolling, it's now successfully reaching large numbers of Americans like never before.

+ It accelerated soon after the White House released a controversial media mashup toward the start of the war a month ago — blending NFL tackle highlights with footage of missile strikes in Iran.

− BROOKING: They are not used to seeing the messages of a country that the U.S.

+ When NPR asked the White House for comment about accusations that Trump has set the tone of global discourse, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly responded, "Why is NPR writing puff pieces about Iran's social media strategy?

− government is bombing that are directed toward them. This is quite new.

+ NPR should look inward as to why they are referring to terrorist regime propaganda as 'trolling.'" Experts say what may look like chaotic internet culture is part of a deeper shift.

− KAHN: And he says Iranians are pioneers at global propaganda, longtime adapters of social media starting decades ago.

+ Trolling has existed in grassroots online spaces for more than 15 years, says Whitney Phillips, a media ethics professor at the University of Oregon.

− However, their AI-generated videos of late seem to be more about quantity than quality, with a lot of content generated apparently by 30-year-old state workers with a nostalgia for the late 1990s kids show "Teletubbies." (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) AI-GENERATED VOICE: (As Donald Trump) Boop. Boom.

+ But with the rise of Trump, she says, it has moved to the center of global politics.

− KAHN: In this video, a Trump tubby is dressed in an American-flag-themed pudgy outfit as he sits on the floor of the Oval office, playing with fighter jets over a map of the Middle East.

+ "This is the language in which Trump speaks — and this is the language in which world leaders are now speaking to him." The risk, analysts say, is that the spectacle begins to overshadow reality.

− And more Legos-inspired videos, too, set to rap music.

+ The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has sparked a widening regional conflict, with Iran retaliating against Israel and Gulf neighbors.

− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) AI-GENERATED VOICE: (Rapping) Across the ocean, just to find your grave.

+ Iranian state media has been releasing propaganda videos and memes trolling and mocking President Trump, including this latest Lego-inspired version.

− Sacrifice your own boys for a lie.

+ hide caption The Pentagon has ordered thousands of additional U.S.

− Listen.

+ troops to the Middle East, raising the prospect of a ground phase and further escalation.

− Yeah. Yeah. Make America Great Again.

+ The fighting is rattling global markets, driving up energy prices and disrupting supply chains worldwide.

− KAHN: It ends on a cut to a black screen with white writing - your grave mistake of attacking us will be judged by history, and it won't be in your favor - and then ends with this message - thank you for your attention to this matter, the people of Iran.

+ Emerson Brooking of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab says war itself is increasingly being absorbed into the attention economy.

− Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

+ "It's like this commodification of war — becoming part of the attention economy — which is a very strange and discomfiting experience so many of us are going through right now." Brooking says Iranian propaganda is not new, but its focus on trolling Trump is allowing it to reach American audiences in ways it hasn't before.

+ "Americans are not used to seeing messages from a country the U.S.

+ is bombing that are directed at them.

− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

+ This is quite new," he said. Iran has long been a pioneer in global propaganda, with early adoption of social media dating back decades.

− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.

+ But its recent AI-generated output appears to prioritize volume over precision, with waves of content that feel rapidly produced and designed for maximum spread — like its latest Lego video set to AI-generated rap music.

− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.

+ The video ends on a stark black screen with white text: "Your grave mistake of attacking us will be judged by history — and it won't be in your favor." And then, a final line: "Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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