In Tehran, large-scale visual propaganda plays a significant role in Iran’s ongoing conflict with the United States. Towering images, such as a billboard of former US President Donald Trump with his mouth sewn shut and covered by a blue veil shaped like the Strait of Hormuz, symbolize Iran’s control over this critical maritime passage through which nearly 25% of the world's oil is transported. This poster, installed on May 2 during stalled negotiations over the Strait, carries the slogan “At the breaking point” in both Persian and English.

Murals across the city also depict key religious figures, including the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, alongside Ali Khamenei—who was killed in the war's initial strikes on February 28—and his successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei. These images reinforce the values upheld by the Islamic Republic, commemorating martyrs of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), displaying revolutionary slogans, and expressing anti-American and anti-Israel sentiment.

According to researcher Parsapajouh, at the start of the Iran-Iraq War, many murals were created by committed artists, art students, and talented amateurs, often through community-driven local initiatives. However, this artistic and emotional dimension has gradually faded. Today, the process is entirely centralized, with massive billboards commissioned directly by government bodies. The compositions now borrow the visual language of advertising, cinema, and blockbuster movie posters, drawing comparisons to iconic imagery such as statues marking the entrance to the Kingdom of Gondor in the "Lord of the Rings" franchise.

This visual strategy, shaped during the Islamic Revolution and now enhanced by artificial intelligence, transforms Tehran’s walls into a vast narrative space designed to carry the government’s voice far beyond Iran’s borders.

Sources

France 24 English