Pro-Iran AI Memes Take Aim at Trump in Online Propaganda War

Pro-Iran groups have turned to artificial intelligence to flood the internet with memes targeting former President Donald Trump and the United States amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. These memes, crafted in fluent English and steeped in American pop culture, are part of a deliberate propaganda campaign linked to Tehran’s government aimed at shaping narratives and fostering opposition to U.S. policies.

Analysts tracking the online content say the memes show a deep understanding of U.S. politics and culture. They mock Trump’s age, health rumors, and political infighting within his MAGA base, while also referencing figures like U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The memes have racked up millions of views on social media platforms, although their real-world influence remains unclear.

Neil Lavie-Driver, an AI researcher at the University of Cambridge, described the effort as a “propaganda war” for Iran, designed to sow enough discontent in the West to force it to back down. The use of AI-generated imagery in conflict zones is not new—Russian AI memes targeted Ukrainians in 2022, and the Israel-Iran tensions have seen a flood of “AI slop,” or imperfect AI images, since last year.

One particularly striking series of memes uses the style of the popular “Lego” animated movies. In these, an Iranian military commander raps about turning U.S. bases into “beds of stone,” while Trump falls into a bullseye made of “Epstein files,” referencing the controversial investigative records on Jeffrey Epstein. Such high production values and internet access suggest cooperation with Iranian government offices, according to Mahsa Alimardani of WITNESS, a human-rights group focusing on AI video evidence.

Despite claims from the meme creators’ group Akhbar Enfejari that they operate independently and voluntarily, experts doubt such sophisticated output could be produced without official or unofficial regime support. The Iranian government has reposted some of these memes through state media channels, amplifying their reach.

Iranian government accounts have also joined the trolling, including a recent post from Iran’s Embassy in South Africa boasting of a new “world superpower,” accompanied by the Iranian flag. Both the U.S. and Iran declared victory following a ceasefire, but unresolved tensions remain.

This meme campaign is the latest evolution of a decades-long Iranian strategy to influence American public opinion and counter Western narratives. As Alimardani notes, these institutions are well aware of American cultural references and public awareness, using them to craft messages that resonate.

In contrast, the U.S. and Israel have not engaged in a comparable AI meme offensive. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released an AI video urging Iranians to overthrow their government, while the White House’s meme output targets domestic audiences with American TV and sports references. The U.S. government’s Voice of America continues limited broadcasts in Farsi despite staffing cuts ordered during Trump’s administration.

As propaganda increasingly moves into AI-generated content, this digital battle over narratives highlights the shifting landscape of information warfare—and Iran’s determination to challenge U.S. influence on the global stage.