As diplomatic negotiations over Iran's nuclear future teeter on the edge of collapse, Tehran's state media has broadcast what many are calling its most provocative piece of war propaganda yet.
A live television segment showed sniper crosshair targets placed directly over the faces of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The 38-second clip, shared on Monday by Russian state outlet RT on X, shows a figure seated with their back to the camera, looking toward a large illuminated screen. On the screen, images of Trump and Netanyahu are displayed with bright red sniper crosshairs superimposed over their heads — unmistakable rifle scope targets of the kind used in marksmanship training.
The broadcast, aired on Iranian television, frames the segment as a sniper lesson, with the leaders of the two nations that launched attack on Iran presented as the targets.
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Adding a pointed ideological edge, the broadcast carries the dedication: *"In memory of the oppressed children of Epstein Island"* — a reference Iran has used repeatedly, tying Trump to late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein to undermine his moral authority on the world stage.
The clip is the latest and most alarming instalment in Iran's aggressive information warfare campaign. Since the war began, Iran's messaging apparatus has rapidly zeroed in on Trump, turning him into a central target in a sprawling, modern information campaign.
Pro-Iran animated videos have depicted Trump falling into a bullseye built of "Epstein files," while other content has mocked both leaders in Lego-style animations. Iranian officials, including the head of Iran's National Security Council Ali Larijani — who was later assassinated in a targeted Israeli airstrike — used Epstein-related references in their public messaging.
The backdrop to this broadcast is a war now paused but far from resolved.
The conflict began on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, striking Iranian nuclear and military installations.
Since then, a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan took effect on April 8. But with peace talks deadlocked, Trump warned Iran will be hit "much harder" if it does not accept his five-point proposal, as his national security team gathered for a Situation Room meeting on military options.
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