The video opens with a distinctive Lego set, featuring a Native American chief on horseback traversing a moonlit, barren landscape. This animated sequence quickly transitions to various individuals depicted as victims of the United States government, including Black Americans in chains and survivors of Iraq’s infamous Abu Ghraib prison. As the background music intensifies, the scene shifts to Iranian soldiers attaching large banners to missiles. These banners display messages such as \u201cFor the stolen Blacks\u201d and \u201cFor the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.\u201d Further messages on the missiles include \u201cIn memory of victims of Iran Air flight 655,\u201d referencing the 1988 incident where a passenger aircraft was downed by US missiles, resulting in 290 fatalities. Another banner reads \u201cIn memory of Rachel Corrie\u2019s freedom struggle,\u201d honoring the American activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. Similar messages are displayed for victims of US conflicts and alleged abuses in Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Iraq, as well as \u201cthe children of Epstein island,\u201d before the missiles are shown launching. The video concludes with the collapse of giant statues representing US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by the bold, all-caps declaration: \u2018ONE VENGEANCE FOR ALL.\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
This March 29 video is part of a series produced by Explosive Media, one of several Iran-based groups utilizing familiar Lego figures and blocks to create a viral social media trend. These videos aim to reinforce Tehran’s narrative amidst ongoing tensions with the US and Israel. The video, which portrays various alleged victims of US actions and domestic issues, has garnered nearly 150,000 views on X. Explosive Media’s YouTube channel was recently removed by the Google-owned platform. Despite this, the Tehran-based group continues its work, employing custom lyrics and rap beats to critique former President Trump. They often use his own statements to highlight perceived hypocrisy and an alleged prioritization of Israeli interests over American ones.<\/p>\n
An anonymous representative from Explosive Media informed Al Jazeera that their YouTube channel was suspended for allegedly promoting violence. The representative asserted their belief that Lego-style brick animations are not violent. \u201cThere was frustration, but no surprise \u2013 this story is not new,\u201d the representative stated, adding, \u201cWe know well how the West wraps truth in silence and tries to mute every voice that speaks it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group’s videos encompass a range of themes, from somber narratives reflecting on Shia-Muslim history to energetic rap-style music videos, all animated using Lego-like brick figures and settings. According to the Explosive Media spokesperson, the colors green and red in their animations carry symbolic meaning. Green represents Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, and his struggle for justice against oppression, while red symbolizes the oppressor. \u201cThat\u2019s actually one of our team\u2019s favorite animations,\u201d the spokesperson remarked. \u201cEspecially that moment when war helmets are placed on missiles and drones \u2013 it was truly brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other videos feature phrases such as \u201cEpstein regime\u201d<\/b> and \u201cLoser,\u201d<\/b> and depict supporters of the former US president wearing brick-red hats with \u201cMAGA\u201d (Trump\u2019s Make America Great Again movement) emblazoned on them. These animations often contrast Trump’s promises to avoid new wars and assist working-class Americans with his own statements, alleging a betrayal of commitments in favor of Israeli demands. \u201cLOSER is one of our best creations,\u201d the group\u2019s spokesperson stated, noting that it’s a term Trump frequently used for opponents. \u201cSo we flipped it \u2013 and showed that, in the end, he\u2019s the biggest loser of all.\u201d The figure resembling Trump is occasionally depicted holding a small doll.<\/p>\n
Another video, released after a period of intense bombardment in Lebanon where over 100 bombs were reportedly dropped in 10 minutes, was directed at the Lebanese people, asserting that Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) would support them. The team behind these videos consists of 10 individuals, all aged between 19 and 25. Notably, the team has access to the internet, including US-owned social media platforms that have been largely blocked for most Iranians by the government since the conflict began. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Explosive Media spokesperson confirmed that Iranian state media outlets are among their clients, but maintained the group’s independence. \u201cWe produce high-quality media content, so it\u2019s natural that different local media outlets \u2013 including some state-affiliated ones \u2013 sometimes purchase our work for broadcast,\u201d the spokesperson explained. \u201cIn practice, we create the content first, and if the quality is strong enough, media organizations choose to buy it from us. This way, our independence is fully preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Explosive Media is not the sole creator in this space. Other artists, such as PersiaBoi and Southern Punk, have produced similar Lego-themed videos. The trend has also expanded beyond Iran, reaching Pakistan, where local creators like Nukta media developed their own versions prior to the initial round of Iran-US negotiations in Islamabad on April 11.<\/p>\n
Fasi Zaka, an Islamabad-based social commentator, highlighted the cleverness of the Lego-style videos, noting their ability to address various subjects within a global information landscape that, for decades, has often been critical of Iran, largely influenced by Western media. \u201cThese videos are ways of breaking through what is an information highway stacked against them generally in times of war,\u201d Zaka observed. Zaka described the videos as \u201creally smart\u201d for their focus on fault lines within US domestic politics, such as the Epstein files. \u201cThey\u2019re just calling it the \u2018Epstein regime\u2019, and that\u2019s a domestic fissure that they\u2019re choosing to bring forward again,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey\u2019re also using, like, the election MAGA tropes and being subordinate to Israeli interests, so in that the way they\u2019re doing it, it seems like fun, but it\u2019s really, really smart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zaka also identified a deeper layer of symbolism, referencing the alleged bombing of the Minab girls\u2019 school by the US on the war’s opening day, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 160 Iranian schoolgirls. \u201cThe war opened with an atrocity against Iranian children,\u201d he stated, suggesting that the use of Lego \u2013 a globally recognized brand for children and parents \u2013 brings \u201cit all together in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marc Owen Jones, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar specializing in media analytics, suggested that Iran’s focus on winning the narrative war is a crucial strategic element, recognizing that military victory may not be achievable. \u201cTheir best bet of success is to have public opinion on their side, pressuring the United States to stop,\u201d he told Al Jazeera. \u201cAnd the communications game in this day and age is one in which this kind of troll propaganda, this kind of \u2018owning smack-talk type\u2019 propaganda wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones noted that the carefully selected themes in the Lego-style videos might have resonated more strongly with Western audiences if they had not originated from Iran, a nation that, he suggests, has been portrayed as untrustworthy over decades. Zaka further argued that the undiplomatic tone and direct messaging in the Iranian videos often parallel former President Donald Trump\u2019s communication style. \u201cUltimately, the Iranian Lego videos are very good,\u201d Jones concluded. \u201cThey\u2019re actually well thought out. There\u2019s a lot of details in them. There\u2019s actually a narrative. Whereas US propaganda is just, you know, explosions with Hollywood films cut through them.\u201d<\/p>\n
#IranLegoVideos #NarrativeWar #ExplosiveMedia #SocialMediaTrends #USIranRelations #MiddleEastPolitics #Propaganda #DigitalDiplomacy #LegoAnimation #Geopolitics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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