Inside the Pro-Iran Meme Machine Trolling Trump With AI Lego Cartoons

Minutes aft President Donald Trump announced that helium would not hitch retired “a full civilization” connected Tuesday evening, a squad of self-described young Iranian activists jumped into action.

Members of the radical known arsenic Explosive Media were putting the finishing touches connected their latest AI-generated, LEGO Movie-inspired Trump video. The video features a Trump figurine colluding with leaders from Gulf states, Iranian officials pressing a large reddish fastener labelled “back to the chromatic age,” and Trump throwing a seat astatine US generals.

This was the latest of much than a twelve videos the pro-Iran radical has released since the opening of the warfare successful February, galore of which person racked up millions of views connected mainstream platforms. While Iranian authorities accounts person posted LEGO-style videos successful the past, Explosive Media’s contented is much sophisticated, scripted, and produced by a squad of young Iranians who look profoundly knowledgeable astir the net and American culture. Already, immoderate critics person alleged the radical has ties to the Iranian government.

“We were astir definite Trump would backmost down, it was wide to us,” a subordinate of the Explosive Media team, who did not privation to publically place themselves, tells WIRED. “We were prepared for this script and had contented acceptable successful advance. We conscionable made a fewer adjustments and released it.”

The squad adjacent added notation of the 10-point program Iran projected arsenic portion of its determination to hold to a ceasefire. As the video concludes, a LEGO Trump is seen sitting adjacent to the document, sobbing portion holding a achromatic emblem and eating a taco—a knowing notation to the acronym for “Trump ever chickens out.”

Within hours of Trump’s announcement, the video was acceptable and published connected Explosive Media’s X relationship and Telegram channel, wherever it had the caption: “IRAN WON! The mode to crush imperialism has been shown to the world. Trump Surrendered. TACO volition ever stay TACO.”

While the Trump medication has been posting memes that intercut warfare footage with movie clips that entreaty to a constrictive assemblage of loyal followers, Explosive Media’s LEGO videos person reached a overmuch broader assemblage successful the US—some of whom intelligibly liked what they saw.

“We’ve committed ourselves to learning much each time astir American radical and culture,” the Explosive Media squad subordinate tells WIRED. “In this process, Americans themselves person been helping us—and that enactment and guidance continues. They stock impactful tips and ideas with us.”

Explosive Media began beingness successful 2025 arsenic a YouTube transmission featuring governmental commentary delivered by a young Iranian man. The contented ne'er gained traction, with astir videos racking up lone a mates of 100 views.

But each that changed successful February, erstwhile the radical began posting LEGO videos, with the squad scripting, producing, and editing each video utilizing AI tools. (The radical would not uncover which AI tools it was using.)

The videos rapidly took clasp connected platforms similar TikTok, X, and Instagram.

“People are disengaging from immoderate of the existent struggle contented and looking for thing that tin distill what's happening rapidly and successful a connection and code that they recognize and that's what those LEGO videos are doing,” Moustafa Ayad, a researcher with the Institute of Strategic Dialogue who has intimately tracking the online contented being shared by Iranian groups during the war, tells WIRED. “They're making it easy accessible to recognize the struggle from Iran's constituent of view, and it's hitting connected points of disaffection successful the United States astatine the aforesaid time. It's moving connected 2 fronts.”