Iran uses billboards to mock Trump, boast of victory in US conflict

Key facts

• Iranian artists are creating large billboards in Tehran with anti-US and anti-Israel messaging.
• The billboards are produced by Khaneh-ye Tarrahan (Designers' House) and sponsored by the government.
• One billboard depicts US President Donald Trump with his lips sewn shut and muzzled by the Strait of Hormuz.
• Another artwork shows an Iranian soldier stepping on a US underwater drone, referencing a recent "Hormuz catch."
• The artworks are created using tools including Photoshop and AI engines like ChatGPT.
• Billboards also feature religious and political figures like Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah.

Tehran's walls are adorned with large-scale billboards that serve as a visual chronicle of Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel. Khaneh-ye Tarrahan, or Designers' House, is a key entity producing these anti-US artworks for prominent locations in the capital, including Valiasr Square.

One striking billboard features a towering portrayal of US President Donald Trump's lips sewn shut and his mouth muzzled by the Strait of Hormuz, accompanied by the slogan "At the breaking point." This imagery, installed on May 2, 2026, highlights the strategic importance of the waterway, through which nearly 25% of the world's oil is transported, and Iran's efforts to control it.

Another artwork depicts an Iranian soldier stepping on a US underwater drone, a reference to a recent seizure by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, with the boastful message "Business is good." The studio's manager, Mostafa Kafaei, explained that speed is a priority, with urgent posters being created in just a few days by teams of up to eight people, utilizing tools like Photoshop and AI engines.

Other billboards include a depiction of Trump trapped in a magician's box with a Coca-Cola and hamburger, captioned "Blink, you’re gone!" referencing an incident in Turkiye. A different advert shows a mythical warrior in raging seas with burning US warships, proclaiming "Satan’s army will drown in the Arabian Gulf." The artworks also riff on popular culture, such as a billboard inspired by Nirvana's "Nevermind" album cover, showing Trump grasping at a dollar bill underwater with the words "GREAT VICTORY! Strait of Hormuz."

Kafaei noted that Trump is featured frequently due to his media presence and Iran's strategy of responding in kind to US actions. The studio, which has a media-monitoring team, operates under a state-run media conglomerate and receives government sponsorship for its work. Billboards also glorify Iran's former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.