Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused YouTube of trying to “conceal the truth” by banning the account responsible for a series of Lego-like animations mocking the war between the United States and Israel.
The small team known as Explosive Media has racked up tens of millions of views across multiple platforms with their expertly produced music videos that relentlessly mock the Trump administration and glorify Iran’s fight against U.S. and Israeli attacks that began in late February.
Last week, Explosive Media had its channel suspended by YouTube for “violent content,” but the owner disputed this. “Are our Lego-style animations actually violent?” the group asked on social media.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai also joined in the criticism of the ban.
“In a country that proudly hosts Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and the Walt Disney Company, an independent animated YouTube channel that has grown organically and garnered millions of viewers by depicting U.S. aggression and warmongering has suddenly been shut down!!” he wrote on social media.
“Why?!” Baggaei said. “Simply to suppress the truth of the ‘illegal war’ against Iran and protect the US government’s false narrative from competing voices.”
Explosive Media’s content is no longer viewable on YouTube, which is owned by Google, but is unaffected on other major platforms such as Instagram, X, and TikTok, where it appears to receive millions of views.
These videos appear to be targeted at a U.S. audience and often lean toward jokes and memes about the personal weaknesses of those leading the war.
They frequently reference the familiar accusation that President Donald Trump started the war to deflect growing attention to his relationship with the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Another video focuses on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s history of alcoholism and accusations of serial adultery and sexual misconduct.
These videos also depict strong pro-Iranian messages. Following last week’s ceasefire announcement, the video declared that “Iran has won” the war. There are also reports that an Iranian missile has hit the White House and is heading toward Tel Aviv.
The videos also capture growing domestic anger at the US government’s dedication to Israel, which they suggest is controlling Trump and dragging the US into a war against its own interests. One video uploaded last week shows President Trump being literally walked like a dog by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Your government is run by pedophiles. They told you to die for Israel,” the chorus of one video repeats.
A spokesperson for the team, who identified himself as “Mr Explosive” in an interview with the BBC, said his group was “completely independent”. But he said the Iranian government was a “customer” and hinted at the possibility of cooperation.
Explosive Media has denied any ties to the Iranian government. In response to an Associated Press journalist who said the sophistication of the video suggested government involvement, the group’s official X account responded: “We have told you and other journalists many times that we are independent. Yet you continue to repeat the same false claims and claim we are connected to the government.”
He added: “Western media has shown no real commitment to the truth, only repeating their own baseless claims until they sound like fact.”
The Trump administration often portrays the war as a clash of civilizations, but the video posted by Explosive shows it has a sympathetic eye on the American people.
The video does not attack the leaders, but it depicts ordinary Americans protesting the Trump administration and fearing being sent into foreign wars by an administration that has promised to end such conflicts.
Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of the war and fear it will escalate. Mustafa Ayad, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told WIRED that the reason the video gained so much attention was likely to capitalize on these complaints.
“People are distancing themselves from actual conflict content and looking for something that can quickly summarize what’s going on in a language and tone that they understand, and that’s Lego Video,” he said. “They’re making it easier to understand the conflict from Iran’s perspective, and at the same time they’re taking advantage of the frustrations of the United States. They’re working on two fronts.”
