Who is winning on the ground is still up for debate, but in the battle over perception, Iran has moved with intent.
The conflict has unfolded on two tracks: one is visible in missile strikes, drone attacks and disrupted shipping routes, the other plays out on phone screens, where short videos, memes and AI-generated clips are shaping how the war is understood.
Iran has treated that second track as a serious front.
Strikes are followed by posts, clips and graphics that frame those events before other versions settle in.
One example came from the Iranian Embassy in Pretoria. It posted an image showing coffins draped in the American flag floating in the Strait of Hormuz. “The only American thing that can pass through the Strait of Hormuz," the post was captioned.
The Strait of Hormuz appears repeatedly in Iran’s content. It is a strategic chokepoint, but also a visual and political symbol in this conflict.
In the animated video “Lord of the Straits”, Iran is shown stopping global shipping altogether. A US president is seen pleading with allies for support, only to be outmaneuvered. Iran has relied heavily on AI-generated videos to push its narrative.
Lego-style animations are also used to depict events.
A clip shared by RT and attributed to Iran’s Tasnim news agency shows a Lego version of Donald Trump sweating as Iranian forces attack tankers and lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Another AI-generated video targets Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Jeffrey Epstein files. In the clip, both leaders stand next to a Lego Satan and a folder titled “Jeffrey Epstein File”.
An Epstein-like figure in a prison jumpsuit appears alongside them. In a different video, Trump is shown dressed like a character from Teletubbies. He kneels and asks European leaders for help. They respond with “No, no, no.”
As he leaves, one tells him to shut the door. The room breaks into laughter.
Iran’s communication is not limited to animation. After Netanyahu said Iran should be “eliminated,” the Iranian consulate in Hyderabad responded with a post featuring a tree and a caption pointing to Israel’s short history.
Some videos move away from humour and focus on emotion. In one AI-generated clip, an elderly figure resembling Ali Khamenei is shown with a child in a quiet moment. A missile strike follows. The ring on his finger glows in the rubble.
Trump is then told, “Khamenei is dead.” A younger man appears, Mojtaba Khamenei. He picks up the ring, raises the Iranian flag and stands amid the debris. Trump receives another message: “Khamenei is back”.
The final frames show missiles rising into the night sky. The sequence builds a narrative of loss and return. Social media sets the tone early. It shapes first impressions before detailed reports emerge.
Iran’s content is built for that environment: short, visual and easy to share. It reaches audiences who may not follow traditional news closely.
A study by Clemson University, cited by The Guardian, found that Iranian networks had shifted into a focused system centred on the war and on projecting Ali Khamenei.
"It's absolutely asymmetric warfare," said Darren Linvill of Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub. He added that Iran was using artificial intelligence at a pace "that I don't think anybody's seen before to the same extent or in the same way".
Iran’s anti-US messaging has long lived on its walls. In 2026, it is also playing out on screens.
In January, authorities unveiled a large mural at Enghelab Square in Tehran.
It shows a damaged US aircraft carrier, fighter jets exploding mid-air, and blood flowing into the sea in stripes resembling the American flag.
The line printed across it reads: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind” “He who sows the wind will reap the storm”. The mural came up as US warships, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, moved closer to Iran.
Older sites, including the “Down with USA” wall near the former US Embassy, have been repainted and updated. New elements, missiles, warships, stylised US flags, have been added to older designs rooted in the 1979 hostage crisis.
These locations often double as protest sites, ensuring the visuals remain part of public gatherings.
In March, state-linked channels released an AI-generated short film, “One Vengeance For All”.
It strings together scenes from conflicts linked to the US, Vietnam, Iraq, Palestine, before ending with a missile striking a “demonic” Statue of Liberty.
Across formats, the message is consistent: the US is shown as a global aggressor, while any Iranian response is framed as justified. Murals hold the line at home, AI videos carry it beyond borders.
"This conflict is the first time we've really seen AI-generated content be used very intentionally to sow chaos and confusion around what's actually happening on the ground," said Melanie Smith, expert in information operations at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, reported France24.
These messages draw from real developments. Iran has launched drones and ballistic missiles, struck near Dimona and Arad, and targeted US-UK facilities on Diego Garcia.
It has also hit energy infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain. Its threat to choke the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted shipping and energy movement.
These events feed into the narrative being built online, often presented as clear and decisive moves. Across posts and videos, the themes remain steady. Trump is shown as erratic or under pressure. Netanyahu appears cornered.