A video circulated by Iranian state media has drawn attention for showing a Lego doll depicting US President Donald Trump being set on fire during funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The clip showed mourners repeatedly calling for Trump’s death and burning effigies of the American leader, turning the procession into a highly choreographed display of political anger.
Mourners on the funeral route also chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as Khamenei’s coffin moved through Najaf, underscoring the broader atmosphere of anti-US sentiment around the ceremonies of the late leader.
Also Read | Air Canada Flight AC774 rolls onto grass after landing at Montreal Airport
Where plastic bricks meet political messaging
The footage was presented as part of a series of videos described as “Lego propaganda”: short, AI-generated animations featuring Lego-like figures that promote the Islamic Republic’s narratives.
The Trump clip was part of a wider pattern in which US popular culture is repurposed to depict Trump as old, isolated, and prone to childish tantrums.
One of the videos depicts Trump with an oversized yellow head and a flaming backside, holding a sign reading “VICTORY! I am a loser.”
The censors enter, right on cue
A group called Explosive Media, widely suspected of having ties to the Iranian government, has produced several such videos that have collectively drawn millions of views during the conflict.
YouTube suspended the group’s account for “violent content” last week.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the ban, accusing it of suppressing “the truth” about the US-Israel war on Iran.
A procession with a wider purpose
The six-day funeral procession drew huge crowds in Iran and continued across the border into Iraq, with mourners marching through Najaf and carrying large portraits of the late leader.
Khamenei’s coffin arrived in Najaf on Tuesday evening. The procession continued to the shrine city of Karbala before the coffin was returned to Iran for burial.
Khamenei was laid to rest in Mashhad, his birthplace and one of Iran’s holiest cities, after the six days of ceremonies.
Was this funeral about more than mourning?
Khamenei’s burial prayer was led by Hossein Nouri Hamedani, a 101-year-old hardline cleric, while his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei remained absent from public view throughout the ceremonies.
The scale of the mourning events was being used by Iranian authorities as a message of defiance to foreign foes and internal critics. Analysts caution that the turnout could not be read as a simple endorsement of the Islamic Republic.
Together, the Trump effigy was not an isolated stunt but part of a broader effort to project resistance at a moment of intense regional confrontation.
Also Read | The threat isn’t above the dam, it’s beneath it: Why China’s mega project is under scrutiny
FAQs
Q1: Why was a Donald Trump effigy burned at Ali Khamenei’s funeral?
According to Iranian state media, the burning of the Trump effigy was part of anti-US displays during the funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei.
Q2: What was the Lego-style Trump model shown in the funeral video?
The video showed a Lego-like effigy of Donald Trump being set ablaze, which state media presented as a symbolic political display during the funeral procession.