English → Persian transcript

Lego bricks turn politics, thanks to a group of creators flooding the internet with Iranian Lego-style videos like this one. Hey, Orange Pig, America first. Oops. Oh boy, that was the slogan you sold. But Bibi's pulling strings and your vote is getting cold. Well a producer on my CNN Abu Dhabi team, Leila Garaghoghzloo, spoke with the team behind

this seemingly new propaganda playbook. Have a listen. If you're on the internet, you've likely seen these highly popular Iranian Lego-style videos. Run back to your crib, you ain't safe on these blocks. Get lost! Don't be lost! Published almost daily, these detailed videos with American and Western cultural references have taken the world by storm. The group that makes these publishes across social media

platforms but recently had their YouTube account shut down for showing violent content. But who is behind these videos? Is it Iranian government propaganda? Are they in Iran or are they outside Iran? I spoke to the creators behind the viral Iranian Lego-style videos. I reached out to the team on X, introduced myself and requested an interview. They promptly responded back and asked where I was from. As an Iranian journalist, I did expect this.

And from there, the conversation switched to Persian. Before agreeing to interview with me, they asked if I was in support of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. This was my response. As a professional and impartial journalist, my duties report events as objectively as possible without the interference of my personal opinions. As an Iranian, I would never welcome the destruction of my country. After another round of questions, these in

English, we agreed to the group's first interview with an Iranian journalist and agreed to do the interview in Persian. Turns out, Explosive Media is a small team of Gen Z creators. 18 to 25 years old, they say they all reside in Iran and most have never left the country. Their spokesperson who requested anonymity said the initial goal of these videos was to show the outside world what Iranians are like, educated, culturally relevant and funny.

We know that the West has a bad perception of us. They don't know us at all. We wanted to break down this wall of censorship. We wanted to say that we're funny, funnier than you even. We understand culture and the arts and we are incredibly educated. We know and understand your American culture well. You don't unfortunately know as much about our culture. We hope that you learn more about ours. While the Explosive Media team is clear

that they support the government, they told me that their videos reflect their own independent political views. We are committed to the Islamic Republic. That's our belief, our point of view. No one has to tell us that. Before the war, we made critical videos of the government just like other media companies that criticise their governments. But once there is a war, internal fights no longer matter. There has been some question as to whether they work

for the Iranian government or have them as a client. We did not say we work with the IRGC. We're like any other media company in the world. When they create something, the rights for distribution can be bought. The rights for distribution of some of our videos in Iran have sometimes been bought by state media. Since the very first Lego style videos came out, there's been a lot of discussion as to whether these videos constitute

as disinformation or propaganda. Mark Owen-Jones, an expert in social media and disinformation, says the answer is a bit more complicated. If I was to simplify it, I would see this as political satire, creative political satire and a form of creative resistance against US imperialism. The fact that it's leveraged by the Iranian regime, of course, that's just what they're going to do if it's effective and successful. And I think to try and frame

it as either pro or anti-government or government propaganda is a bit complicated. Whether satire or propaganda, these videos speak to a moment in social media and geopolitics, one that the Iranian government has adapted to. And I think the regime has become very savvy about the importance of social media, certainly domestically. I think internationally they've they've been savvy about that. And it's not just social media trends that have

led pro-government Iranians to making these videos. The two and a half year Gaza war has fundamentally changed the landscape in media and people's perceptions of the US and Israel. But I really do think that the Gaza war has unleashed or has created a level of criticism of Israel in US politics and European politics that we have not seen before. And I think the creators of these videos and the Iranian regime in general know that and they are using

that to kind of emphasize that this war is not in the interest of Americans, but the interest of Israel. I think these are themes that resonate very profoundly amongst not just the left, but also the right or certain aspects of the right. The rise of explosive media and Iran's new social media strategy has coincided with an Internet and communications blackout in Iran, a blackout that has left millions of Iranians

cut off from the rest of the world. So how do these videos manage to make it out? Iran has set up an internal Internet system for local companies and banks and for people who can afford it, they buy VPNs and even Starlink. But explosive media doesn't use any of those. The group applied for an Internet license as a news media company. The license allows news outlets to connect to the global Internet. The process is long and the criteria unclear.

As we wait for a possible deal to end this war, explosive media says they too hope for peace. And in the meantime, they say they'll keep making these videos.