On February 28, the US and Israel bombed Iran. Within 24 hours, Iran was already winning a different war.

Not with missiles. With memes.

Before the smoke had cleared, accounts linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) flooded social media with propaganda reaching millions. NewsGuard, a media watchdog, tracked 50 false claims in the first 25 days — 92 per cent pro-Iranian. The ROI was instant — by mid-March, 58 per cent of Americans were against the strikes. Iran had walked into the American living room and started rearranging the furniture.

None of this was improvised, unlike a Miles Davis riff. The Supreme Leader Khamenei said it himself in 2024: “The media is more effective than missiles, planes and drones in forcing the enemy to retreat.”

So, the new generation of Iranian propagandists grew up online (while pursuing PhDs — dudes are highly educated, as we know by now). They make Lego animations, rap diss tracks, Teletubbies parodies. They know the Epstein files. They know The Apprentice. Their frame isn’t classic Islamic resistance — it’s US counterculture.

Let’s deep-dive into the Top 3 memes.

#1 The Lego Epstein video

Trump and Netanyahu hunch over a folder marked ‘Epstein Files’. A red devil Lego hovers behind them, golden goblet raised. They hit a button. An Iranian school gets bombed. The camera holds on what’s left: A small pair of shoes and a school bag in the rubble. Then Iran strikes back — US bases, Ben Gurion airport, a Dubai hotel. Iranian soldiers charge. Credits.

Within a month, Explosive Media — aka AkhbarEnfejari, Explosive News — had millions of views. They call themselves a “student-led media team”. The BBC found the Iranian government was allegedly a paying client.

The master stroke was the Epstein hook. Epstein wasn’t an Iranian issue — he was a pre-existing American wound about power and impunity. Iran didn’t need to explain geopolitics. The audience already had the shame, the feelings. Iran just pointed.

#2 “Hey, Trump. You Are Fired.”

No AI. No budget. Just Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfaghari staring into a camera like he was waiting his whole career for the moment.

Persian. Then English.

“Hey, Trump. You are fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Trump’s own Apprentice catchphrase, returned to sender by a uniformed general, mid-war. Zolfaghari — previously a nobody — went global overnight. He’s since renamed Operation Epic Fury as “Epic Fear” and noted that wars are decided “in the field, not by tweets”.

Zero deniability. The Iranian State, on record, doing comedy. The smirk was a strategic asset.

#3 The Strait of Hormuz key

Possibly the funniest thing any government has done on social media.

Trump ultimatum: “Reopen the strait by April 7”. Iranian embassy in Zimbabwe: “Sorry, lost the key.” Deadline passed. Embassy: “We found the key.” Iranian embassy in South Africa: “Eish, eventually. I told you it was under the flower pot, lazy.”

An Indian X user asked Iran’s Mumbai consulate if it was hiring. Consulate: “No vacancies. Our team is all Iranian — with a soft spot for India — though bringing our Indian friends onboard someday is a pretty great idea.”

Massive hit in India. The “soft spot” line wasn’t just flattery — it carried decades of history (India-Iran history — those who know, know) in a joke, from a consulate to a country not even in the war. That’s not social media. That’s cutting-edge diplomacy.

Also: The White House posts Trump as Jesus. Iran posts Trump as the Epstein guy.

How does a sanctions-hit, internet-blackout country produce the most viral propaganda operation of the century? There are three layers.

Official: IRGC-affiliated media, State embassies, Explosive Media and other studios.

Covert: Fake personas — Latin women in Texas, Scottish independence supporters — building real audiences for months, maybe years. On February 28, 61 accounts switched simultaneously to pro-Iran war content. One switch. Zero organic.

Amplification: Russia and China boosting at scale, turning a regional operation global.

It works because of the information void. Both sides have censored the conflict. Nobody knows what’s happening on the ground. Iran floods that vacuum with AI content that’s fast, emotional, shareable. Doesn’t need to be true. Needs to feel true for four seconds.

The deeper irony: Iran learned this from Trump. He built his career on catchphrases, insults, and contempt for dignified communication. Iran watched, took notes and is now running his playbook back at him — better writers; clearer, sharper villain; audience already softened, primed.

Political IT cells everywhere — factories of WhatsApp forwards and outrage bait running 24/7 — are watching from the sidelines. The Iran campaign has proved that volume isn’t the same as wit, and reach isn’t the same as resonance. The difference is the joke, the humour. Iran’s memes make even critics laugh. IT cell memes die early deaths.

They have a lot of catching up to do. Lagey raho, Munnabhai.

(Shubho Sengupta is a digital marketer with an analogue past)

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Published on April 20, 2026