Iran didn’t start the AI propaganda war, but it may be adapting to it faster than the United States

How “slopaganda” is reshaping the information battlefield

Despite America’s tech dominance, Explosive Media, reportedly an Iranian outlet, seems to grasp the American psyche better than current U.S. messaging. This gap is becoming clear as AI-generated content expands.

In recent months, Explosive Media’s wave of AI-generated videos has circulated across platforms like X and TikTok. Many are styled with bright, Lego-like animation, paired with English-language rap or narration. They move quickly, reference highly specific American cultural and political issues in the zeitgeist in the social media landscape, such as the Epstein files and Israeli influence in US politics and adopt a tone that feels native to the internet, ironic, fast-paced, and culturally fluent.

This is not traditional black, white or grey propaganda. Instead, they blend seamlessly into the social media landscape they are designed to influence. In a BBC interview, propaganda expert Dr Emma Briant mentions the term ‘’slopaganda, which is where propaganda meets GenerativeAI. In her paper, Dr. Emma Briant explains how the generic term ‘AI Slop’ falls short of conveying just how potent and highly advanced this content really is.

These videos succeed due to high-quality AI animation, fluency in English, and precise targeting of topics already resonant with Western audiences. References to the Epstein case, distrust in political institutions, and fatigue with prolonged military involvement in the Middle East or ‘forever wars’ are not incidental–they are central to the strategy.

Explosive Media describes itself as independent while acknowledging that the Iranian government is among its clients. Whether formally coordinated or not, the messaging reflects a clear understanding of its audience. These videos are not aimed at Iranians. They are aimed outward, toward Americans and Western Europeans, particularly younger, online audiences.

This style of communication didn’t emerge in a vacuum. This is a familiar pattern in the Trump Era. Since the presidency of Donald Trump, digital messaging has increasingly favoured short-form, high-impact content with emotionally charged language and direct appeals.

Although Trump’s own use of social media has helped normalise this style, what we’re seeing now is something different. Adversarial actors are adopting and refining the same tactics with greater coherence. This leads to a growing contrast in the postings on both sides.

Iranian content feels focused, thematically consistent and most importantly culturally tuned to its target audience. Some recent posts from the official White House account on X also use humour and pop culture references. However, the messaging tends to shift between humour, deterrence, and internal political attacks without a consistent narrative, which can make the overall purpose of his communication feel unclear.

Trump may have already learned from previous posts that the ‘’meme-culture’’ approach only works when speaking to a base that already agrees. For example, in his run against Kamala Harris in 2024, Trump reposted a featured photo of Harris and Hillary Clinton alongside the comment: “Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently…”. When that base fractures, as seen in divisions within Trump’s own supporters over the war, it becomes less effective at reaching a broader audience.

Consider an example from the early days of escalating tensions. On March 12th, the White House official X account posted a video resembling a Nintendo Wii-style interface to depict military action against Iran, framing the conflict almost like a video game entitled ‘’Epic Fury’’. On March 29th, Explosive Media posted and pinned a Lego video on their Instagram page. The chorus of the video is “L.O.S.E.R., yeah, we’re spelling out your name, sent them to slaughter, you're the only one to blame’’.

The visual and stylistic choices in these videos suggest an attempt to reach younger audiences. However, the Wii, released in 2006, evokes an older audience. While the Lego-style aesthetic (the first Lego movie was released in 2014), paired with AI polish and rap, speaks directly to Gen Z, one feels dated. The other feels native.

This difference reflects a broader shift. As media theorist Marshall McLuhan argued, “the medium is the message.” The platforms themselves shape how content is received. In a social media environment defined by speed, irony, and cultural specificity, content that aligns with those norms carries more persuasive weight than content that merely adopts them superficially.

AI has given Iran and similar actors an unprecedented ability to reach Western audiences in a more direct and impactful way. Because these tools are mostly trained on Western data, they are especially well-suited to generating content that resonates culturally.

These videos challenge assumptions and stereotypes often reiterated in the US media. Many Americans hold outdated views of Iran as technologically or culturally isolated. High-quality AI content, fluent in English, rich in current cultural references, undermines that perception. It signals capability, awareness, and intent. Although Iran is without internet, Explosive Media has been granted access to "journalist internet" by the Iranian government, according to the BBC.

As AI tools continue to evolve, so too will the strategies built around them. The recent wave of videos attributed to pro-Iranian networks illustrates how influence campaigns are adapting, not only in content, but in tone, targeting, and timing.

Whether these efforts are ultimately effective at shaping public opinion remains an open question. But they point to a broader shift in the information landscape. The defining advantage may no longer be technological dominance alone, but the ability to use that technology with cultural precision.

Image: Flickr/The White House (Joyce N. Boghosian)

Licence: public domain.

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