The Iranian regime found reality to be a powerful tool. Instead of relying on its usual tactics of obfuscation and misinformation, it deployed AI-generated content.
During the initial phase of the conflict with Iran, as the White House engaged in sharing Call of Duty memes and AI-generated visuals of dancing bowling pins, Iranian state media actively disseminated numerous videos depicting the unfolding events on the ground. These included footage of explosions over Tehran, smoke filling the sky, bloodied scenes, a Tomahawk missile striking a school, and grieving parents burying their children.
Just weeks beforehand, the authoritarian government had been battling to suppress all visual evidence of widespread national protests, implementing the longest internet blackout in Iranian history to cut off external access. When Iranian dissidents successfully bypassed these restrictions to share photos and videos, the regime dismissed these images as "Zionist AI slop," even while acknowledging the killing of thousands of demonstrators.
Subsequently, on February 28th, a surprise attack by the United States and Israel on Iran resulted in thousands of casualties, including civilians. The dynamic shifted: positioned as victims of an unlawful war, the Iranian regime found that reality served as its most potent propaganda. Consequently, Iranian state media intensified its efforts to convey the truth, circulating high-definition videos showcasing the devastation caused by American actions.
Before these assaults, there were indications that internet connectivity was being restored in Iran, but the onset of bombing raids reinstated the blackout. Nevertheless, initial reports suggested Iran might selectively restore access “for those who can carry our voice further” – implying a tiered internet system for approved individuals willing to disseminate, at minimum, an anti-war stance. The subsequent developments were entirely unforeseen.
By mid-March, a distinct shift in Iranian propaganda became apparent. The prevailing content featured small Lego minifigures depicted as soldiers, with Lego aircraft and helicopters burning in an AI-generated desert. These videos also controversially combined references to Jeffrey Epstein and deceased Iranian schoolgirls with imagery of weapons and explosions. It became clear that this "Lego AI slop" was proving to be the most far-reaching form of communication.
The two major conflicts of this decade, in Ukraine and Gaza, were both characterized by a deluge of verifiable documentation showing missile strikes, destroyed structures, and fatalities, much of it from civilians acting as impromptu war correspondents. For a short period, the war in Iran appeared to follow this trend, particularly after a missile strike on a school in Minab killed 175 individuals, including schoolchildren. Images of the devastated school and aerial views of graves being dug for the children became powerful symbols of the war's injustice. However, despite the dissemination of these images, the internet blackout persisted. While Minab remains a potent symbol for Iranian state media, its external propaganda strategy increasingly resembled an attempt to out-maneuver the American government in online discourse.
While Iran lacked America's military might, it possessed other strategic advantages. Its control over the Strait of Hormuz escalated into a crisis with the potential to fundamentally alter the global economy. As fuel prices surged, Donald Trump reacted intensely, issuing an "apocalyptic ultimatum" on Truth Social, demanding Iran open the Strait or face “living in hell.” Days later, a conditional ceasefire agreement was reached, with Iran's demands forming the basis for negotiations. The regime's online messaging appeared to significantly influence Trump, who posted on Truth Social Friday morning, stating, “The Iranians are better at handling the Fake News Media, and ‘Public Relations,’ than they are at fighting!”
The ceasefire narrative highlights the clash between an insulated, hyper-online political faction and the unyielding reality of geographical constraints. While it would be an overstatement to claim Iran secured a favorable ceasefire solely through its online antics, the "Lego AI slop" undeniably played a role.
The phenomenon of "Lego AI slop" propaganda, potentially originating from Iranian state media, represents a truly bizarre and unexpected development. A spokesperson for Explosive Media, the creators of these Lego videos, informed The New Yorker that the group has no affiliation with the regime, provocatively asking, “Is there any way to prove that you are not connected to Jennifer Lawrence?!”
The Associated Press also reported that the group claimed to be operating from within Iran, asserting, “We’re just a group of friends working voluntarily — paying for our own internet, using our own laptops and computers, and doing all of this ourselves.” If their location within Iran is accurate, it is highly probable they possess sanctioned internet access. Without regime approval, maintaining sufficient connectivity to upload these videos, let alone produce them, would be exceedingly challenging.
Narges Bajoghli notes in New York that “Over the past 15 years, Khamenei made sure sufficient money, talent, and institutional priority flowed toward digital content creation.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “operates or funds at least 50 production houses,” with the most impactful at present being smaller, “small, fast, and built for the internet, made by a new generation coming to power in Iran as American-Israeli bombs kill off the elder leaders — one that is younger, savvier, and less afraid of the US.”
Bajoghli further explains that “These freelance studios are not ‘official’ IRGC channels but rather produce media for the broader media arms of the state, and they receive funding from both the IRGC and other coffers of the state and military establishments.”
Drawing insights from one of these smaller production houses, Bajoghli details how a new generation was poised to create content. They had already mastered “videos with faster cuts and a sense of irreverence,” but the IRGC had previously deemed such content insufficiently “serious.” The conflict, however, presented their chance to excel.
Regardless of whether Explosive Media is a state-sponsored entity, official state accounts, including those of Iranian embassies globally, actively reposted its Lego videos. Furthermore, this "Slop Wave" emanating from Iranian state accounts extended beyond just the Lego-themed content.
The Iranian embassy in Tunis posted, “American soldiers, you’re fighting for JEFFREY EPSTEIN,” accompanying a montage of deepfaked American soldiers. The Iranian embassy in The Hague ridiculed Trump with Pixar-style AI-generated content of the president, while the Iranian embassy in South Africa repurposed a dated 2020 TikTok meme to portray an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, likely
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