YouTube has terminated the channel of Explosive Media, the pro-Iran group behind a series of widely shared artificial intelligence (AI) generated Lego-style animations mocking United States President Donald Trump, confirming the suspension was made on March 27.
The Google-owned platform said the channel was removed for violating its spam, deceptive practices and scams policies, without elaborating on the specific conduct that triggered the action.
Explosive Media, which describes itself as independent but is widely suspected of ties to the Iranian government, built significant online notoriety during the US-Iran conflict through animation videos that accumulated millions of views. The group denied any government backing, dismissing the allegations as a media distortion.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the ban, framing it as an attempt to suppress what he described as the truth about the US-Israel war on Iran.
The satirical videos depicted Trump as a cartoonish figure with an oversized yellow head, portraying him as isolated, prone to outbursts, and disconnected from global affairs. One widely circulated clip, posted after a two-week ceasefire was announced on April 7, carried the caption “TACO will always remain TACO,” a reference to the phrase “Trump always chickens out.”
Despite the YouTube removal, the group continued posting content on X and Telegram. Meta-owned Instagram also took down the group’s account, though a separate account under the same name remained active as of Wednesday.
The head of Explosive Media, who identified himself only as “Mr Explosive” in a BBC interview, said his team consisted of fewer than 10 people and acknowledged that the Iranian government was a customer of his company.
Analysts have described the phenomenon as the “Legofication” of conflict propaganda, noting that cartoonish meme videos amplified by Iranian diplomatic missions and pro-Tehran social media accounts are emerging as an increasingly effective information warfare tool. Recent clips depicted fictional Iranian military victories, world leaders in subservient roles, and the Strait of Hormuz reimagined as a cartoon toll booth.
The English-language focus of the content suggests it is aimed at audiences outside Iran, where platforms such as X have been blocked for years and are only accessible via virtual private networks. The ability of Explosive Media to produce and distribute content amid what internet monitor NetBlocks described as an internet blackout inside Iran has intensified suspicion of its ties to the Iranian regime.
