Viral animations during Strait of Hormuz crisis highlight growing use of memes and AI in modern conflict messaging
Screengrab from Iran’s LEGO animation mocking Trump and Netanyahu. SOURCE: X
Iran recently released an animated video mocking US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Strait of Hormuz Crisis.
They had released an AI-generated LEGO animation suggesting Trump launched the conflict to distract from scrutiny over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
🚨 BREAKING: On March 11, 2026, Iran trolled @realDonaldTrump with an AI-generated video styled like a Lego animation, mocking his ties to Jeffrey Epstein amidst the ongoing Epstein-Iranian War.
The two-minute clip shows Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Satan as Lego figurines… pic.twitter.com/VVvmHpyVSA
— Gene Trevino (@GenoVeno73) March 13, 2026
These videos have been in response to the Trump administration’s ‘meme-ification’/gamification of the war with Iran, posting live footage of attacking Iranian targets. They quickly circulated online, highlighting how artificial intelligence is being used as a tool of political messaging and satire in modern conflicts.
According to Axios, with two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, much of the White House’s online messaging resembles online trolling — a stream of videos splicing real missile strikes with footage from Call of Duty, Wii Sports and Hollywood blockbusters.
One video wove clips from “Top Gun,” “Iron Man”, and “Braveheart” between images of Iranian targets being destroyed, ending with the “Mortal Kombat” audio: “Flawless victory.”
The White House is selling the Iran war with the help of Sponge Bob, memes and pop culture clips
Nintendo games, top Hollywood movies scenes, and Mortal Kombat sound effects included
The framing seems to be deliberate, in an attempt to make violence look slick, familiar, and… pic.twitter.com/DkuEAavpPJ
— Diamond Feed (@DiamondFeedX) March 19, 2026
These flattened animations dull the catastrophe of war into something more digestible for audiences active on social media. AI is not simply being used to generate fake images but entire narratives that can fit into the same algorithm as clips from shows, movies, and games.
The realness of the situation is downplayed while ensuring that the audience understands and engages with the message targeted towards them.
Iran has effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched their war on the country on February 28. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war.
Iran had responded to Trump’s threats to strike its power plants by saying it would hammer the infrastructure of US allies in the Middle East, raising the prospect that an extreme disruption to global energy supplies could last longer than previously expected.
