Taylor Lorenz’s Power User
Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

Inside Iran's Gen Z Meme Army: How LEGO Became War Propaganda

April 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In early March 2025, shortly after the US launched a new war with Iran, a strange type of video began flooding social media. They were Lego animations—crude but vivid—showing blocky versions of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu signing deals, bombing schools, and meeting with Epstein. The videos were set to catchy AI-generated rap music and ended with a Persian watermark reading "Akbar Infajari" (Explosive News). Within weeks, they had amassed tens of millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X, and were being shared by mainstream liberal activist pages, right-wing podcasters, and protesters at the No Kings March. Journalist Ariba Fatima, reporting for Dropsite News, traced these videos back to a Telegram channel run by a group of young Iranians calling themselves Explosive Media. What she found was not a straightforward state propaganda operation, but something more complicated: a group of Gen Z internet natives who started out making memes about exams and football, and only later—after the war began—became one of the most effective propaganda machines of the conflict.

From Memes to War Propaganda

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:06) **The Viral Lego Propaganda Phenomenon** - Taylor Lorenz introduces the episode's subject: viral Lego videos about Trump and the US war with Iran, and journalist Ariba Fatima who has been investigating the group behind them (Explosive Media).
  • 2 (01:29) **First Encounters with the Lego Videos** - Ariba and Taylor discuss when they first noticed the Lego videos bubbling up online in early March.
  • 3 (02:59) **Why Liberal Audiences Embraced the Propaganda** - The hosts analyze why mainstream liberal accounts were comfortable sharing content that came from Iran.
  • 4 (04:31) **The Mythological Storytelling of Lego War** - The hosts break down the narrative structure and character design of the videos.
  • 5 (07:43) **Catchy Songs and Internet-Native Propaganda** - The hosts discuss the music and cultural resonance of the propaganda.
  • 6 (08:47) **Bipartisan Appeal and Copycat Explosion** - The videos transcended political lines and spawned countless imitators.
  • 7 (09:55) **Tracing Explosive Media's Digital Footprint** - Ariba explains how she identified the group behind the videos.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Iranian LEGO videos mocking the US government are taking over the internet. 

Support my independent journalism: 

🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz    ⁠ 

🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co    ⁠ 

We are living in an era where global internet culture and meme warfare are just as influential as traditional media and LEGOs are being used to create the most effective messaging around the US-Iran war.

I sat down with Areeba Fatima, a journalist for Dropsite News, who's been reporting on the team behind "Explosive Media," the group of seemingly Gen Z Iranians producing this viral content.

We dive deep into how these LEGO videos are actively reshaping Americans' perceptions of modern warfare, and why this content is uniquely bridging the gap across the American political spectrum.

🔥 EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE: I tracked down and interviewed a member of Explosive Media, the team in Iran behind these viral LEGO videos. To hear directly from the Iranians making these LEGO videos, watch the full bonus interview on my Patreon or Substack.

🙏 Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz⁠    ⁠ 

🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠⁠https://www.usermag.co⁠    ⁠ 

We discuss: 

  • How these viral LEGO videos are actively reshaping how Americans view our war with Iran.

  • The fascinating Telegram history of Explosive Media, revealing they started as young internet natives posting about sports, exams, and movies before the war escalated.

  • Why mainstream liberal accounts and right-wing podcasters in America are both sharing this content by the millions.

  • How this Gen Z team uses AI to bypass sanctions, generate rap songs, and tap directly into global internet culture.

  • The relentless cat-and-mouse game of Explosive Media getting banned from platforms like YouTube and X, only to immediately return.

Support Independent Journalism: I currently have zero brand sponsors or advertising partners. My work is solely funded by viewers like you. If you value this content, please consider supporting me so I can keep producing these deep dives

🙏 Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz    ⁠ 

🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: ⁠https://www.usermag.co    ⁠ 


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