In the age of internet, it’s not just the war of missiles, jets, drones and interceptors. A country has to match its on-ground and in-air might with digital tools and soft power. Iran is doing the same, taking on the US and Israel as the West Asia war enters into sixth week.
Tehran is blending diplomacy with sharp digital messaging and online content to present its stance on the global stage. Alongside its military operations, Iran has used humour, satire and symbolic references as a softer way to engage with unfolding developments.
A recent episode centred on developments within the United States military has highlighted how Tehran has been engaging in this space. The latest flashpoint came after Iran mocked the firing of US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
Iran’s embassy in South Africa circulated edited images of a recent US military leadership meeting, with certain figures crossed out. The post accompanied by the caption “The regime change happened successfully”, also referred to President Donald Trump’s “MAGA” slogan.
The regime change happened successfully.
Along with George, General David Hodne, head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major General William Green, who headed the Army’s Chaplain Corps, were also removed from their posts, reported the Washington Post (WaPo).
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It also posted Trump’s clip from his address to the nation where he claimed that the US had annihilated Iranian air defence systems. “Eish. You were talking” the post was captioned with a laughing emoji. This came after Iran downed two US military aircraft in a day.
Eish
You were talking???? pic.twitter.com/WblcT05pDB
The recent mockery episode is part of a broader pattern of messaging by Iranian state-linked accounts, which have relied on memes, satire, and AI-generated content to shape narratives during the conflict.
Diplomatic handles amplified such messaging globally. Iran’s Embassy in Thailand posted an AI-generated picture depicted a US pilot fleeing Iranian forces, captioning it as “Currently in Iran”, as the authorities have reportedly issued search warrants for the US pilot that fell from the aircraft that Iran hit.
ขณะนี้อยู่ในอิหร่าน pic.twitter.com/12c9nAVfxy
Iran’s Embassy in Zimbabwe, taunted Washington with a sarcastic “Trump, please talk. We are bored” post.
Trump, please talk. We are bored.
Later, it shared an image showing damaged US aircraft in a photo and captioned it “BLACK FRIDAY. Hit one F-15E, get 2 Black Hawk.”
BLACK FRIDAY
Iran’s Embassy in Tunisia mocked US Air Force by posting a picture of pilots ejecting from the aircraft getting hit. “???????? CHAIR Force ????” the caption of the post read.
Earlier, Iran had also released an AI-generated video portraying Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Lego-style characters.
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It came as some of Trump’s critics accuse him of “risking world war” to divert attention away from the Epstein files scandal.
In the footage, released by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Trump and Netanyahu were seen standing by a Lego Satan and examining a folder labelled “Jeffrey Epstein File.” The file included an Epstein figure in an orange prison jumpsuit with a grey-haired Lego character.
At the same time, Iran’s political leadership has escalated its rhetoric on digital platforms.
President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly criticised Trump’s remarks about pushing Iran “back to the Stone Age,” calling such statements indicative of intent to commit a “massive war crime.” He warned that history judges harshly those who remain silent in the face of such threats.
“Does threatening to send an entire nation back to the Stone Age mean anything other than a massive war crime? This was the question I asked my Finnish counterpart, who is a jurist. History is full of those who paid a heavy price for their silence in the face of criminals,” Pezeshikan said.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker MB Ghalibaf has also increased his rhetoric against the US in posts mocking Trump, questioning his “out of context” quotes and accusing him of manipulating the markets.
The US-Israel-Iran war, which began February 28 with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has so far caused over 2,000 killings in Iran and internally displaced over 3 million people.
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