Iran has escalated the propaganda war surrounding the conflict in the Middle East with a bizarre AI-generated video depicting Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu as Lego-style characters launching a missile strike after discovering a file labelled “Jeffrey Epstein”. The two-minute clip, released by Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim News Agency, is a pointed attempt to tie the ongoing war to the scandal surrounding the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The video arrives amid mounting political attacks in Washington accusing Trump of using foreign conflict to divert attention from the controversy. A cartoon war with a sharp political message In the animation, Lego versions of Trump and Netanyahu stand beside a Lego devil while reviewing a folder titled “Jeffrey Epstein File”. The Trump character reacts angrily to what he sees and slams a large red button, launching a missile. The video then cuts to the strike hitting a girls’ school — a reference to the deadly explosion in the Iranian city of Minab that killed dozens of children and staff earlier in the conflict. The blast scene ends with a Lego Iranian soldier holding a pink backpack among the rubble — an unmistakable attempt to frame the United States as responsible. Propaganda war escalates alongside real one The video forms part of a wider information campaign as tensions intensify between Iran, the United States and Israel. The strike on the school remains under investigation, though footage reviewed by international outlets suggested a missile aimed at a nearby military installation struck the building next door. Trump has denied responsibility, suggesting Iran or “somebody else” could be to blame. Meanwhile, Iranian messaging has focused heavily on civilian casualties to undermine support for the Western military campaign. Critics in Washington amplify the controversy Back in the United States, critics from both parties have seized on the Epstein scandal while attacking the war. Progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has argued Trump’s overseas confrontations often coincide with new developments in the Epstein case. Libertarian-leaning Republican Thomas Massie has also warned that bombing Iran “won’t make the Epstein files go away”. From satire to street theatre The controversy has spilled into American culture as well. A statue titled “King of the World” recently appeared near the National Mall depicting Trump and Epstein recreating the iconic bow scene from the film Titanic. For Tehran’s propagandists, the message is clear: the battlefield now includes not just missiles and drones, but memes, satire and political scandal. Iran trolls Trump with Lego AI-generated propaganda video that mocks his Epstein ties | The Independent
