- Iran excels in social media warfare using AI videos and memes against the US and Israel
- The Iranian embassy in Kabul claimed Trump backed down after Iran threatened regional energy attacks
- Iran's Pretoria embassy posted a photo of coffins in the Strait of Hormuz as a symbolic warning
While it remains inconclusive who is winning the war on the ground, there is a unanimous consensus that Iran has aced the social media game. Supplementing its strategy of exhausting multi-million dollar air defences of the US and Israel with cheap kamikaze drones, Tehran has turned social media into a high-stakes psychological battlefield. From AI-animated videos to memes to niche references shared by its global embassies, the Iranian regime has shown the ability to target its enemies through digital subversion.
After Trump indicated that Washington and Tehran had begun 'productive conversations' aimed at a full resolution of the escalating conflict in the region, the Iranian embassy in Kabul came up with a scathing post, highlighting that the US president backed down due to Iran's threat.
"Trump's Retreat After Iran's Firm Warning: After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any US attack on Iran's energy infrastructure, it would target the energy infrastructure of the entire region, Trump backed down and stated that he had issued an order to postpone the attack," read the post by the embassy.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, posted an image showing the waterway near the Strait of Hormuz filled with coffins draped in the American flag.
“The only American thing that can pass through the Strait of Hormuz," the post was captioned as saying.
In one of the more popular animated videos titled, "Lord of the Straits", Iran showed how it managed to bring international commerce to a halt by not allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It also showed a desperate US president pleading with allies to help him, only to be outmanoeuvred by the Iranians.
Iran is also utilising Lego characters to hit back at the US and Israel. One of the latest videos released by Iranian media showed Trump sweating as Iran attacked US tankers in Hormuz.
Also Read | Trump Hints At Possible Middle East Breakthrough, Then Iran Rubs It In
After Netanyahu claimed Iran should be "eliminated" due to its "attacks on civilians," the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad dismissed the threat with a public message about Israel's history.
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, in a post on X said: "Trump is either lying or talking nonsense. The devastating strikes of the armed forces and the surge in oil prices have left the devil exhausted and desperate. Negotiating under these conditions makes no sense. The enemy only understands the language of force and missiles."
