Narrative Wars as US Media Struggles to Manufacture Consent for Iran War
Narrative wars rage as missiles fly. Various influencers, corporate and national media outlets are firing up their fog of war machines in a vicious fight for control.
What’s the Trump Regime Saying?
Let’s start at the top and look at what the War Emperor declared as he opened the Gates of Janus.
Trump opened the narrative wars with a traditional live television announcement in the very early hours of Saturday the 28th:
Some highlights:
A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran.
Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating eminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.
Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.
For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.
…
From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran’s proxy Hamas that launched the monstrous October 7th attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested. It has always been the policy of the United States in particular my administration that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.
I’ll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in operation midnight hammer last June we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Ford Natans and Isvahan.
After that attack we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons and we sought repeatedly to make a deal.
We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it again. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil.
But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades. They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.
Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.
For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We are going to destroy their missiles and raise their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
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This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States armed forces. I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration, and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength, or sophistication.My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.
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To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms, you will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.
…
No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach.
POTUS Trump has also been saturation bombing Truth social with his most bombastic claims:
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS. He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves. That process should soon be starting in that, not only the death of Khamenei but the Country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
Yesterday, Trump followed up with some pre-recorded comments that seem to have a bit of the AI about them:
Notable quotes:
Over the past 36 hours, the United States and its partners have launched Operation Epic Fury, one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen.
Nobody’s seen anything like it. We have hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems.
Just now was announced that we knocked out nine ships plus their naval building. All in a matter of literally minutes.
Iran’s formerly Supreme Leader Ayatollah Hame is dead. This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries.
Last night all over Iran, the voices of the Iranian people could be heard cheering and celebrating in the streets when his death was announced.
The entire military command is gone as well and many of them want to surrender into saving their lives. They want immunity. They’re calling by the thousands. Combat operations continue at this time in full force and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives.
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Earlier today, Centcom shared the news that three US military service members have been killed in action. As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, we pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more. But we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.
Dan Pfeiffer of the liberal Pod Save America podcast responded to the latter with “There is something disturbingly surreal that after launching a regime change war in the Middle East, the president only speaks to the nation through hastily edited video statements released on state-run media platforms.”
Some Gaps in the Trump Communications Offensive
He certainly wasn’t in the mood to answer questions from the press upon returning to The White House yesterday:
Maybe that was because he’s been caught in a lie:
And while no one from Team Trump made the traditional rounds of the network Sunday shows (a traditional arena for fighting narrative wars), Trump was answering his phone when reporters called:
And most reassuringly, Trump is keeping the hotline to Laura Loomer open at all times:
The President is taking foreign policy calls from someone who got banned from Uber, DoorDash, and half the internet. pic.twitter.com/ggITB5WeU2
— Omar El-Ayat (@oelayat) March 1, 2026
Interestingly, much of the opposition to the war is coming from Trump’s right.
MAGA Ain’t With This
Just ask former US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene:
Or Matt Walsh:
Or Nick Fuentes:
And this rejection of Trump’s war is coming when Americans are not even privvy to all the facts.
Israeli Press Reports Trump Seeking Ceasefire
Any American concerned that censorship is clouding domestic media is advised to check what’s being said in the Israeli media. This time it’s YNet reporting some uncomfortable claims:
Trump seeks swift end to Iran operation
Opinion: The killing of Iran’s supreme leader is a major intelligence and military feat, but Tehran’s regime has not collapsed; US official, via a mediator, proposed an immediate ceasefire; Iran rejected it outright, as Trump looks for a quick exitOn the eve of the strike on Iran, U.S. officials envisioned a four- to five-day operation that would return a weakened Tehran to the negotiating table. According to one source, an American official conveyed an even more immediate proposal. Through a mediator, apparently Italy, he suggested reaching a ceasefire agreement today or tomorrow. Iran rejected the idea outright.
What Do the Polls Say?
Reuters has one that doesn’t look so good for Trump:
How About that Liberal Media?
Let’s check in on the gang at CNN (whose parent company WBD was just acquired by the Ellison Family’s Paramount empire), I’m sure they’re living up to everyone’s expectations:
How about MS Now, the hardcore opposition, no doubt they’re doing us proud:
In fairness, American audiences can’t handle the truth, or even interesting rumors:
Nor can the Brits
What’s the New York Times saying?
The editorial board has concerns:
started this war without explaining to the American people and the world why he was doing so. Nor has he involved Congress, to which the Constitution grants the sole power to declare war. He instead posted a video at 2:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, shortly after bombing began, in which he said that Iran presented “imminent threats” and called for the overthrow of its government. His rationale is dubious, and making his case by video in the middle of the night is unacceptable.
Among his justifications is the elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, which is a worthy goal. But Mr. Trump declared that program “obliterated” by the strike in June, a claim belied by both U.S. intelligence and this new attack. The contradiction underscores how little regard he has for his duty to tell the truth when committing American armed forces to battle. It also shows how little faith American citizens should place in his assurances about the goals and results of his growing list of military adventures.
Mr. Trump’s approach to Iran is reckless. His goals are ill-defined. He has failed to line up the international and domestic support that would be necessary to maximize the chances of a successful outcome. He has disregarded both domestic and international law for warfare.
The Iranian regime, to be clear, deserves no sympathy. Nobody should mourn the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who was reportedly killed in the attack.
But NYT op-ed columnist Bret Stephens has none:
…it’s a mistake to say that Trump got America into war on Saturday. What he did was respond to a war that Iran has been waging against the United States since 1979.
It waged war when it seized our embassy in 1979, murdered (via proxy) hundreds of our service members in Beirut in 1983 and supplied the I.E.D.s, or roadside bombs, that killed or maimed over 1,000 of our troops during the war in Iraq. It waged war when it sought to assassinate former senior U.S. officials, including John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and, according to a 2024 report in Politico, Trump himself. One reason Iran behaved as it did is because it drew the lesson that it would pay no great price. No more.
Second, Tehran had an opportunity to change course last June, after its 12-day pummeling by Israel and an overnight strike by the United States. Instead, it set out to begin reconstituting its nuclear capabilities while rapidly rebuilding the missile force that is now terrorizing civilians in Tel Aviv, Dubai, Manama and Riyadh, and targeting U.S. military assets in the region.
Would the United States, the Arab world or Israel have been safer if we had waited a year or two for Iran to build several thousand more missiles? Or after Russia had supplied the regime with thousands of advanced shoulder-fired air defense missiles, as The Financial Times reported last week that it had agreed to do?
Third, Iran does not exist in a geopolitical vacuum: With Moscow and Beijing, it is a core member of the axis of autocracies that threaten the democratic world broadly.
In fairness, they’re giving little Nicholas Kristof room to decry “The Folly of Attacking Iran” but even their opposition is “nuanced” and anti-Iran:
Like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Iran has a repressive and unpopular government that is a malign influence on the region. Iran just massacred thousands of protesters — at least 6,800 civilians and perhaps many more, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The regime is a pillar of misogyny, supports bad actors throughout the Middle East and holds back millions of well-educated people.
And as with Iraq in 2003, a war is not necessarily the best tool to deal with a brutal and hostile government. There are more problems in international relations than solutions, and in the past the illusion of an easy military answer has repeatedly caused tragedy for ourselves as well as for others.
I reached out on the eve of the war to a heroic Iranian human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, whose courage and defiance of the regime have periodically landed her in jail. She told me that the best time for military strikes would have been January, when they might have stopped the slaughter in the streets.
But Thomas Friedman brings NYT readers back from the brink of opposing the war:
First, I hope this effort to topple the clerical regime in Tehran succeeds. It is a regime that murders its people, destabilizes its neighbors and has destroyed a great civilization. There is no single event that would do more to put the whole Middle East on a more decent, inclusive trajectory than the replacement of Tehran’s Islamic regime with a leadership focused exclusively on enabling the people of Iran to realize their full potential with a real voice in their own future.
The NYT also gives former Obama National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes room to ask some key questions:
Foundational questions are at stake for Americans. Do we want to continue forever wars financed with borrowed money and fought by service members whose sacrifices stand in stark contrast to the cowardice of our billionaire class? Do we want to regularly bomb other countries while endangering the lives of millions of human beings by dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development? Do we want to remain in a permanent state of war that migrates from one place to another while rampant inequality and revolutionary technologies remake our communities with little resistance?
Presumably NYT readers like Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham are answering “yes” to most of the questions Rhodes poses.
How’s About that Nominal Opposition Party?
The Guardian more or less sums up the dilemma the Democrats find themselves in:
Democrats faced their own divisions and a reckoning over how to present a united front.
Most were quick to condemn the US president for sidelining Congress to launch an illegal and unconstitutional war and demanded a swift vote on a war powers resolution that would restrain his military onslaught.
But some in the party also felt obliged to acknowledge the authoritarian Khamenei’s death as a positive development and demonstrate their support for US troops. A small band of centrist Democrats have even threatened to scupper a war powers resolution if it comes to the floor.
“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” tweeted John Fetterman, a Democratic senator for Pennsylvania and staunch supporter of Israel, declaring himself a “hard no” on a war powers vote and posting an image of the ayatollah with the provocative statement: “Let’s see who grieves for that garbage.”
…the sharpest voices accused the president of riding roughshod over the constitution. Senator Bernie Sanders denounced the assault as “an illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war”, while Senator Chris Van Hollen warned it amounted to a “regime-change war” that would leave the US less secure. Senator Tim Kaine, long a thorn in the side of presidents of both parties on war powers, called the strikes “a colossal mistake” and demanded a swift vote requiring Trump to seek authorisation.
Others, however, were more qualified. Tom Suozzi, a New York Democrat who co-chairs the Problem Solvers caucus, wrote on X: “I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities.” Henry Cuellar of Texas said the threat posed by Iran was “real and longstanding”.
And not all Democrats are lining up behind a war powers rebuke. In the House of Representatives, Josh Gottheimer applauded the administration’s “decisive action” to defend American interests and allies. Greg Landsman argued that the US “is destroying Iran’s missiles and bombs to stop them from taking more lives”, and said he would oppose a resolution that he fears would amount to abandoning Israel.
Congressman Jared Moskowitz rehearsed Tehran’s long record of sponsoring violence across the region and insisted the focus must now be on shaping what comes next rather than relitigating what has already happened.
As tragi-comic as the Democrats can be, there’s even more dire pathos out there.
Influencers Posting Brave From Dubai
Despite Iran’s warnings they would be hitting American bases in the region, many in the UAE were caught off guard.
Riyadh has emerged as a key exit route for the super-rich and senior executives stranded in the Gulf looking for a safe passage out of the region.
Cities including Abu Dhabi and Dubai have become playgrounds for the wealthy over the past few years, attracted by the year-round sunshine, tax-free lifestyle, and perception of safety. That was shattered over the weekend as Iranian missiles and drones rained down on the two cities, along with Qatar and Bahrain, causing those that could to attempt to flee.
The Saudi capital’s airport is one of the few still operating in the region, forcing executives and their families stranded in other parts of the Gulf to take the long drive in order to catch private jets or commercial planes.
Private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to ferry people on the 10-hour drive to Riyadh from Dubai and then charter private planes to take them out of the region, according to people familiar with the matter. They have been evacuating a mix of people, including senior executives at global finance firms and high-net worth individuals in the region for business or holidays, the people said. The rush in demand is sending prices for private jets and SUVs soaring, these people said.
But that hasn’t stopped the UAE from doing what they can, agit-prop wise:
Some of the most notorious residents of Dubai have joined in as well:
Andrew Tate acting tough for his camera:
Now that we’ve heard from the UAE, let’s let Iran have the last word.
What the Empire Is Up Against
Professor Marandi is familiar to many followers of the alt news on YouTube, his response to the pretender follows:
Here’s how they’re rallying the masses to resist:
Stay safe out there.