Tehran Billboards Turn Trump Into Target Of Iran’s Anti-US Propaganda

Huge billboards across Tehran mocking US President Donald Trump and depicting American military equipment under the feet of Iranian soldiers have become a visual chronicle of Iran’s conflict with the United States and Israel.

AFP was given rare access to the team behind some of the anti-US billboards displayed at prominent locations across the Iranian capital, including the busy Valiasr Square.

Khaneh-ye Tarrahan, or Designers’ House, produced one towering image showing Trump with his lips sewn shut and his mouth symbolically muzzled by the Strait of Hormuz. The billboard carried the message: “At the Breaking Point.”

“When news breaks, the team mobilizes: ideas are generated, the graphic designers are briefed and we collaborate,” said Mostafa Kafaei, 32, who manages the studio.

The office features a whiteboard for brainstorming, while photographs of people described as martyrs and design ideas line the corridors. The studio also has a dedicated media-monitoring team and operates under one of Iran’s largest state-run media conglomerates.

The government sponsors the billboards, using them to communicate its messages to large audiences across Tehran.

Another billboard created by a different studio depicts Trump trapped inside a magician’s box while holding a Coca-Cola and hamburger. It carries the words: “Blink, You’re Gone!”

The image refers to a July incident in Turkiye in which Trump was reportedly moved from Air Force One to another aircraft on a catering truck following a security threat.

AI Used In Billboard Production

Speed has become a major priority for the designers, Kafaei said, with some urgent posters completed within only a few days by teams of up to eight people.

Most of the designs are created using Photoshop, while the team also uses artificial intelligence tools.

“We are highly proficient in AI,” Kafaei said, adding that the designers use various AI engines, including ChatGPT and Nano Banana, during the production process.

Billboards Reflect Iran’s ‘Media War’

One of Tehran’s recent giant billboards shows an Iranian soldier standing on a US underwater drone, referencing what Iran’s Revolutionary Guards described as a recent “Hormuz catch.” The billboard carries the slogan: “Business Is Good.”

Iran has blockaded commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, while the US military has maintained a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

Another billboard portrays a mythical warrior standing amid raging seas as US warships burn, accompanied by the message: “Satan’s Army Will Drown In The Arabian Gulf.”

Taking inspiration from the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind album, another design depicts Trump underwater reaching for a dollar bill alongside the words: “GREAT VICTORY! Strait of Hormuz.”

Kafaei said there had initially been hesitation about using such a large image of Trump’s face on the Valiasr mural featuring his sewn-shut lips.

However, he said the final assessment was that the image would be particularly powerful.

Asked why Trump appears so frequently in the billboards, Kafaei described him as “a media personality” and said the studio responds whenever he takes action in the media space.

Comparing the conflict to a battlefield in which an opponent is “constantly firing at us,” he said the studio closely monitors its adversary and responds accordingly.

Billboards Promote Iran’s Wartime Narrative

Other large billboards across Tehran glorify Iran, its former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the war, and allies such as slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Kafaei said the billboards can help people who “may not be politically minded” understand the broader context of events unfolding in the country.

Retiree Mahmoudreza Rezaei, 53, recalled seeing a billboard carrying the phrase “Satan’s wedding gift.” He interpreted the message as a reference to Trump following an alleged US attack in southern Iran last month that reportedly killed several people at a wedding ceremony.

“It kept me pondering for a few minutes, trying to decipher the meaning,” Rezaei said, describing the billboard as having a riddle-like quality.

Sahar Jahedi, 24, who works at a pharmacy, said she was particularly struck by the billboard showing Trump trapped inside the magician’s box, which was displayed at Jomhouri Square.

With many people struggling to make ends meet and lacking time to closely follow the news, she said, such billboards can help keep the public informed about major events.