YouTube bans pro-Iran channel that trolls Donald Trump using viral Lego videos

Explosive Media, allegedly a group of Iranian content creators, has claimed that its channel was removed by YouTube. The group is producing viral videos that troll Donald Trump. In recent days it has become quite popular.

In Short

• YouTube allegedly removes a channel run by Explosive Media
• The channel was posting Lego videos that trolled US president Donald Trump
• The videos were part of Iran’s propaganda war with the US and Israel

While the US, Israel, and Iran fight an actual war, in parallel there is also a war of propaganda on social media. One player in this war has emerged as a sort of winner — Explosive Media. Likely linked to Iran, and probably staffed by Iranian content creators, this group is using AI to generate Lego videos that troll Donald Trump and push the Iranian narrative forward. Now, the channel has been banned by YouTube.

On Friday Explosive Media said that its channel was suspended by YouTube, ostensibly because the Lego videos in some way were deemed “violent content”. The YouTube ban came just hours after the latest video from Explosive Media — the one that talks of Donald Trump and his alleged connection to Epstein Files through a rap song — garnered millions of views on social media.

“Our YouTube channel just got taken down again for violent content. Seriously! are our LEGO-style animations actually violent,” Explosive Media asked on X.

It is not clear why YouTube may have found the Explosive Media “violent”. While they do depict the war and strife, considering they are talking about the current fight in the Middle East, they do not come across particularly violent, thanks to their Lego style animations. However, they are part of Iranian propaganda, whether officially sanctioned or not. And it is possible that YouTube banned them because the videos push a narrative that may not be grounded in facts.

Earlier in the middle of the war, Iran had alleged that tech companies from Google — which owns YouTube — to Oracle were helping the US government in one form or another. At one point, Iran even threatened to hit tech offices and data centres in the Gulf countries. The tech companies, on their part, have not yet responded publicly to these allegations.

The Lego videos remain available on other social media platforms. These videos, which are well-scripted and sophisticated, have gained millions of views across mainstream platforms including X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and more. They are so popular that Explosive Media has been covered by some top media organisations, including Wired and AFP, in the last few days.

Earlier Moustafa Ayad, a researcher with the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, told Wired, “They're making it easily accessible to understand the conflict from Iran's point of view, and it's hitting on points of disaffection in the United States at the same time. It's working on two fronts.”

Explosive Media has denied any links with the Iranian government, but critics have connected them to pro-Iranian narratives. The creators appear to have a deep understanding of the internet and American culture. Their videos have also reached a broad audience in the United States, where they are gaining significant traction. A Wired report quoted a group member as saying, “In this process, Americans themselves have been helping us—and that support and guidance continues. They share impactful tips and ideas with us.”

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