US-Iran diplomatic and military tensions

Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated through military incidents and heated diplomatic rhetoric. In early September, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have seized a US unmanned submarine near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the event as a “complex intelligence and operational action.” Following this, the Iranian Embassy in Tunisia used social media to mock US President Donald Trump regarding the seizure and rising oil prices.

By late September, the confrontation shifted to the United Nations General Assembly. President Trump issued threats to potentially “annihilate” Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating he faced a “big decision” regarding whether to reach a deal or potentially annihilate the nation. In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserted that the Iranian people are victims of attacks by the US and Israel and stated that Iran would not succumb to threats.

Iranian diplomatic missions have increasingly used Indian pop culture to respond to the US and the UN. The Iranian Embassy in Zimbabwe shared an action clip from the Telugu-language film ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ to signal that the nation is not defenceless, suggesting the US administration had “recently been watching Bollywood instead of Hollywood.” Additionally, the Iranian Embassy in India utilized a meme featuring the character Thakur from the film ‘Sholay’ to contrast the idealized power of the UN with its perceived reality of being powerless. This satire follows criticisms from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who accused the UN of “indifference” toward alleged violations of its Charter by the United States and Israel.