Pro-Iran group Explosive Media mocks Trump and Netanyahu with viral AI-generated Lego cartoons

A pro-Iran content group known as Explosive Media has unleashed a barrage of AI-generated Lego cartoons mocking U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, turning social media into a battlefield of viral satire amid escalating Middle East tensions.^[1][2][3] These animations, featuring childlike Lego minifigures in grim war scenarios, have racked up massive views by blending playful visuals with provocative anti-U.S. messaging, such as depictions of Trump under attack or rubble-strewn scenes evoking bombed Iranian schools like Shajareh Tayyebeh in Minab.^[1][3] According to Ars Technica, the group has released over a dozen such videos targeting Trump and America, while The Verge highlights their take on a recent U.S. rescue of a downed airman behind Iranian borders, reframing it as anything but a success in their Lego-style narratives.[Source 1][Source 2]

Explosive Media credits their virality to "heart", portraying themselves as an independent, student-run team—possibly under the Persian banner Revayat-e Fath—producing "patriotic trolls" rather than official state propaganda.^[3][Source 2] One striking example from Iranian state media, shared via YouTube, shows Lego Trump and Netanyahu facing doom with an ominous call: “The veil is thinning. Good. Evil. Time is running out. Choose your side. RISE UP!”—a mix of pop culture whimsy and rallying cry for resistance.^[1] Reuters reports these quick-production clips are reaching new audiences unfamiliar with Iranian perspectives, marking a new frontier in digital propaganda where satire outpaces traditional news.^[2] Some videos even feature AI-generated rap tracks with catchy hooks, amplifying stories of civilian horrors like little plastic shoes amid ruins.^[3]

The impact underscores a shift where virality trumps facts, as Time magazine notes: audiences encounter war first as memes, not reports, with these Lego tales dwarfing coverage of real events like military casualties and burning oil fields.^[3] Explosive Media's accounts faced crackdowns—YouTube and Instagram suspensions on March 28, 2026—prompting debates over their independence versus state ties, especially as others, like an Iranian Embassy post styled after Pixar's Inside Out, lean more overtly official.^[3] White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted U.S. videos hitting 2 billion impressions, but analysts argue Iran's Lego efforts may have surged ahead in the meme wars.^[3]

This phenomenon affects global audiences by processing complex conflicts—America's war with Iran, U.S.-Israel alliances—through accessible, shareable content that evades some platform filters.^[2][3] Platforms now face pressure to justify takedowns in integrity reports, while the creators persist on X, claiming grassroots status.^[3] What happens next remains unclear: more videos could fuel escalation in information warfare, influencing public opinion on rescues, bombings, and retaliation without deepening understanding of the underlying geopolitics.^[1][2] As Reuters' experts warn, even fictional animations carry real sway in shaping narratives during active conflict.^[2]