As the conflict with Iran nears three months, a parallel campaign is unfolding online — and observers say Iran is scoring unexpected wins in the information space.
Political satire and clever visuals have long been tools of influence, from wartime mockery to modern viral content. Experts say Tehran’s recent social media output blends humor, simple visuals and AI-assisted production to reach huge audiences at minimal cost.
Bret Schafer of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, whose team analyzed Iranian activity on X in the first 50 days after the war began, says engagement surged dramatically. “We saw roughly a thirtyfold increase in views and likes on Iranian accounts,” he told reporters, noting that diplomatic profiles that traditionally get low reach suddenly drew millions of views.
One striking example: after a widely circulated image of former President Trump was posted online, the Iranian Embassy in Tajikistan posted a response video that amassed more than 24 million views — an audience size rarely seen for diplomatic channels. Schafer attributes that traction to the format and tone of the content, which favors shareable, easily consumed clips over long policy statements.
Much of the content leans into pop aesthetics and short-form storytelling. An account called Explosive Media, based in Tehran, has attracted attention by rendering political messages as Lego-style stop-motion scenes. When asked why Legos, a representative said through a translator that the blocks are “a universal language” that crosses cultures without words. Analysts suspect many of these clips are assembled with AI tools, lowering production cost and enabling rapid iteration.
That combination — engaging visuals, concise narratives and inexpensive AI production — helps messages travel. “If your goal is to weaken domestic support for the conflict in the U.S., point to economic costs and make it relatable,” Schafer said. “You don’t need a big budget. A creator with AI tools can do it. Propaganda has been democratized.”
Former U.S. official Jamie Rubin, who led the State Department’s Global Engagement Center before its funding was cut in 2024, warns the U.S. has lost institutional capacity to respond. “We had units designed to combat disinformation from Russia, China and Iran. That capability was dismantled,” he said. Rubin argues that effective information campaigns require a clear, compelling rationale, allied coordination and trusted messengers — elements he believes are lacking in the current U.S. approach to the Iran conflict.
Rubin also criticized the centralization of messaging inside the White House. “When every line, rebuttal or response has to be cleared at the top, you lose agility in the information war,” he said.
Washington did attempt early public-facing media — short videos mixing real footage with pop-culture clips drew hundreds of millions of views but were criticized as “gamifying” the conflict and were discontinued. Since then, official output has been sporadic and often more polemical than persuasive. The White House dismissed criticism of Iran’s propaganda success, saying U.S. military actions have severely degraded Iran’s capabilities and criticizing media coverage of Tehran’s posts.
Analysts note that effective propaganda rarely depends on factual accuracy. Allegations or insinuations — for example tying the conflict to other scandals or conspiracies — can take hold simply because they are repeated and feel plausible to some viewers.
The result is a crowded, fast-moving media environment where short, emotional pieces often outperform sober diplomatic messaging. For now, Iran’s approach — low-cost, high-shareability content amplified by AI and niche creators — appears to be winning attention. Observers say the larger question is whether that attention will translate into lasting shifts in public opinion or policy, and how the United States and its partners will rebuild the tools to compete in this evolving information space.