The war between the United States and Iran officially commenced on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Tehran; the operation was called “Epic Fury” and “Rising Lion.” In this operation, Iranian military and government sites were targeted; moreover, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior governmental officials were killed. Tehran’s response was also very intense. Iran targeted Israel with drones and missiles, even hypersonic missiles, while US bases across the region were struck. Moreover, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil markets and exacerbating global energy vulnerabilities.
Months have passed since the conflict started. Multiple rounds of negotiations were held in Islamabad, and even the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed; nevertheless, the conflict remains unresolved to date. Strait of Hormuz remains blocked; the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is now under attack from the Houthis; now, two vital choke points for global energy supplies are under strain, and a solution still seems out of sight.
A ceasefire is in place in theory but is often violated; the war has therefore turned into something unusual. It is a war where narrative, meaning, and territory are being contested. Trump has been saving face in front of his allies by harming their energy interests. Hormuz is closed, and Washington has not been able to reopen it, despite having the firepower. Tehran, despite being the weaker party to this conflict, has held its ground.
How is this War Different?
American media predominantly toed the line set by Washington; it was the case in their numerous Middle Eastern conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. The mainstream media legitimized US’ decision to violate the sovereignty of other nations, backing it with flawed premises of them having weapons of mass destruction and so forth, to sustain public support. This phenomenon was apparent in the 1991 Gulf War, particularly during CNN’s live coverage of US precision strikes.
The Iran war, however, looks different. Despite Washington’s clear military and technological superiority, the US has not been able to rally public support as it did in the past. The information environment has also been highly contested; despite portraying battlefield victories, the US has not been able to convert them into a global sense of victory.
Social media and even different mainstream media outlets have not termed this conflict a US victory. Tehran, despite having military and economic limitations, has used social media platforms, visual content, and alternative platforms to contest the narrative framed by Washington. Audiences worldwide no longer depend on mainstream Western outlets to understand or make sense of the war, and this shift matters.
Washington’s Narrative
Americans have followed the Trump Administration’s language and narrative. Their officials have been alluding to the destroyed Iranian assets to give the impression of success. Fox News reported in April that the war against Iran was near completion.
US coverage of the war has not been uniform; some news outlets have questioned Washington’s claims. PBS NewsHour fact-checked the claims of “victory” and questioned whether the battlefield imagery, shared by the Trump Administration or Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, meant that the US had achieved the strategic goals it had set out before entering the war. Reuters similarly expressed its concerns over Washington’s endgame.
Polling from Navigator Research found that Americans’ perceptions of the war varied depending on the news outlets they followed. Fox News viewers, for example, validated the attack on Iran, citing concerns of nuclear threat and liberation efforts. In contrast, CNN and MSNBC viewers opined that this conflict was waged to divert attention from domestic scandals. It must be noted that around the same time period, US President Trump was being heavily criticized for his involvement in the Epstein Files.
US administration also relied on visual spectacle to garner support. The White House and the Pentagon created war-related content with an entertainment aesthetic to reach younger audiences. Obviously, all of the footage was not real; it was fabricated and edited. For example, a video posted by US Central Command’s account mixed real strike footage with clips from a video game called Call of Duty.
Pentagon accounts even alluded to religious scriptures and combined them with combat imagery to add more depth and validation to their narrative. Chief spokesperson Sean Parnell referred to the Book of Isiah alongside a silhouetted soldier. US President Trump also posted an AI-generated image depicting him as a Christlike figure; after receiving heavy criticism, even from Pope Leo XIV, he later deleted the picture.
US President Donald Trump has deleted an AI-generated image of himself depicted as a Jesus-like figure after he faced backlash and mockery online.
Trump said the image was meant to show him “as a doctor”, and comes amid a feud with Pope Leo XIV over the war on Iran. pic.twitter.com/6mvMtSm15B
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 14, 2026
This approach has a major structural flaw. Destruction is easy to record; political success is not. Although images of wrecked houses, military sites, and buildings depict military dominance, it does not mean that the adversary, Iran in this case, has accepted their terms. In August 2026, a Reuters survey found that only 35% of Americans supported the war, while 50% believed it would bring more instability and chaos to the Middle East, contrary to claims by the US administration. The same report estimated the war’s cost at around $37.5 billion.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the sentiment was also not unfavorable toward the war. Ordinary Americans expressed their concerns over the war and even called it Israel’s war.
Iran’s Counter-Narrative
Tehran’s response has been effective and deserves study. It has not tried to convince the world that it has won militarily; instead they changed how winning is measured. Instead of relying on official statements, Iran adopted the internet culture of satire, animation, and references to previous US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The clearest example is the “Lego War”: an AI-generated, Lego-style animated video produced by Explosive Mediaa—a small Iran-based studio with fewer than ten staff members. Explosive Mediaa’s founder said Lego-style graphics work because they are instantly recognizable, economical to produce, and can be shared across borders without translation.
This is the latest lego animation produced by Iran to encourage the war effort.
Replete with Shia Muslim references, it depicts a final battle between Iran and the forces of evil (the US and Israel). pic.twitter.com/sivObnz65B
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) April 2, 2026
Official Iranian accounts have used this format a lot; for example, the Iranian embassy in Ghana posted a video of Trump sleeping during a briefing with the caption, “He must be dreaming that he defeated Iran. Leave him sleeping.” Whereas other videos referred to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and tied Trump to it, they also portrayed him as being controlled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They depicted Hegseth amid misconduct allegations, set to music that frames Iran as defending itself rather than being defeated.
He must be dreaming that he defeated Iran. Leave him sleeping. pic.twitter.com/glLAwJxenv
— Iran in Ghana (@IRAN_GHANA) April 27, 2026
Iran also framed the war in a different, more patriotic context, shifting it from regime survival to national survival. Thus, it presented the US-Israel attack as an attack on its sovereignty and identity rather than a fight to install a new government. Iranian official accounts also kept posting images of civilian suffering and resistance to garner the emotional support of people at home and abroad.
What This Reveals About Modern War
The dynamics of warfare are evolving; information warfare, or hybrid warfare, has entered the debate, shaping who the world sees as the winner. Military superiority is no longer enough to control the narrative. Washington tried to resonate its technological dominance and destructive precision to portray itself as the winner. Iran, on the other hand, highlighted identity, sovereignty, and resistance to showcase its strength and the failure of US-Israeli tactics.
The strategic divide proved effective on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok, where younger audiences are predominant. Younger audiences gravitated toward meaning over power, driving net support sharply negative.
The conflict underscores a fundamental shift in modern warfare. Small studios are relying on Artificial intelligence, limited staffing, and digital communication to shape global sentiment and narrative effortlessly. At the same time, winning the battle on the ground is not enough; it no longer guarantees victory in public perception.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When did the US-Iran war start, and is it still going on?
The war began on February 28, 2026, with a joint US-Israeli strike inside Iran. Despite Islamabad Talks and the subsequent signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the war has not officially ended.
What is the “Lego War”?
It’s the nickname for a series of AI-generated, Lego-style animated videos produced by Iranian creators mocking US and Israeli leaders and glorifying Iranian resistance.
Why has US public support for the war declined?
Reuters reported in August 2026 that only 35 percent of Americans supported the war, with half expecting it to leave the Middle East more unstable. Rising war costs also rallied the locals against the war.
