Key Takeaways:
- Since the opening salvo of Israeli and American strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, social media has been awash with terrible takes meant to whitewash the Islamic regime, denigrate Israel & the U.S., and spread baseless conspiracy theories.
- These popular social media posts include the ludicrous claims that this war is connected to the Epstein files, that Israelis are fleeing the Jewish state, and that Tel Aviv has been destroyed under Iranian bombardment.
- The danger of these posts is in the millions of views that they have garnered, spreading misinformation and conspiracies to the masses and hoping to craft a narrative that is harmful to Western interests in the region.
As negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran faltered, Israel and the U.S. launched a pre-emptive strike against the Islamic regime, hoping to stave off its nuclear enrichment, development of ballistic missiles, and support for terrorist proxies in the region.
As part of this opening salvo, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed, along with several other leaders of his theocratic regime.
No sooner had the first bombs landed in Tehran than the worst actors on social media took to their accounts and started posting the most absurd and obscene takes, spreading misinformation and lies while accruing hundreds of thousands of likes and views.
From claiming the attack is a cover for the Epstein files to hoping that Israel has been destroyed in Iranian missile attacks, these are some of the worst takes that have appeared on social media over the past 24 hours.
This War is a Cover for the Epstein Files
One of the most pervasive conspiracy theories/awful takes is the ludicrous claim that the war was launched to somehow distract from the release of the Epstein files or to cover for the sex crimes described within them.
Noted online antisemite, Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis, claimed in a post that this war is due to Israel blackmailing U.S. President Donald Trump with sex tapes from Epstein’s Island, while British commentator Bushra Shaikh (recently back from her solidarity trip to the Islamic Republic) posted, “He raped children and attacking Iran for Israel is the cost.”
Along the same lines, online personality Jackson Hinkle (who claims to be an American patriot but supports every anti-American persona around the world) posted a photo of Ayatollah Khamenei along with the caption, “He stood alone against Epstein’s demons.”
Even Mehdi Hasan, who tries to present a more respectable journalistic facade, couldn’t help himself, commenting how “Epic Fury” (the U.S.’s name for the military operation) has the same initials as “Epstein files.” Of course, he was “just sayin’.”
He stood alone against Epstein’s demons. pic.twitter.com/R4lroeCyGV
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) March 1, 2026
Candace Owens Finds Another Reason to Blame Israel
Not to be outdone, Candace Owens used the opportunity to claim that “they” murdered noted right-wing activist Charlie Kirk since he was opposed to a war against Iran and knew that “they” were going to go through with it.
We’ve lost count of the number of bizarre reasons that Candace Owens has come up with for the murder of Charlie Kirk, and who was behind it. At least she’s always on brand.
We will never forget that they MURDERED Charlie Kirk for this war and he knew they were going to do it.
His spent his final days mentally anguished, texting the very people who would ultimately betray him.In honor of Charlie, I STAND AGAINST ISRAEL. https://t.co/xVVzPXzIUO
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) February 28, 2026
“Boom Boom Tel Aviv”: Supporting Strikes on Israel
As Iran was lobbing missiles at Israeli city centers, scores of accounts took to social media to celebrate the attacks on the Jewish state, claiming that Israel (specifically Tel Aviv) was being destroyed.
Shortly after the war began on Saturday, one account posted “It’s Boom Boom Tel Aviv time” along with a celebratory music video from the June 2025 Iran-Israel war, which has since garnered over four million views.
In an attempt to exaggerate the damage that has been inflicted on the Jewish state, Russian propaganda outfit RT posted a video of some debris after an Iranian missile strike, along with the laughable caption “Tel Aviv shattered as Iran hit back.”
You call this “exclusive footage?” Since when is some minor damage in a single apartment block’s car park evidence of an entire city being “shattered?”
Pitiful propaganda on behalf of your Islamic Republic friends.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 1, 2026
Similarly, known misinformation distributor/self-described “journalist” Richard Medhurst commented that since Israel had reported zero deaths after Iranian missile barrages, “That means it’s very bad and they’re lying.” Since his post, several Israelis have been killed in missile strikes, and, in a surprise to no one except for maybe Medhurst, it is being reported by the Israeli media and civilians on the ground.
Not satisfied with celebrating the supposed destruction of Israeli cities, former MMA fighter and current antisemite Jake Shields posted on X that “At this point, I’m hoping Iran has a nuclear missile.”
It’s Boom Boom Tel Aviv time! pic.twitter.com/AOHENpurUC
— Censored Humans (@CensoredHumans) February 28, 2026
Israelis Are Fleeing Israel?
The flip side of the celebrating strikes on Israel coin is the slew of social media posts claiming that Israelis are terrified and cowardly, either fleeing the country or hunkering down in bomb shelters.
Jackson Hinkle thought it was a great dig to post a video of Israelis walking calmly into a bomb shelter and claim that “Zionists are RUNNING to their BUNKERS!” (as opposed to real patriots who die in missile barrages?) while an account named “Normal Island News” posted the falsehood that “Native Israelis are suddenly remembering they are in fact dual passport holders and are fleeing en masse to their European countries of origin. So brave.”
BREAKING: Native Israelis are suddenly remembering they are in fact dual passport holders and are fleeing en masse to their European countries of origin. So brave ♥️
— Normal Island News (@NormalIslandNws) March 1, 2026
Along with this ridiculing of supposed Israeli “cowardice” is the false claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fled to Germany due to the war, with some even comparing him to the Ayatollah, who is portrayed as dying courageously in his own country.
Of course, this is simply not true. For its own protection, the prime ministerial plane had been flown out of Israel, but the PM and the rest of the political and military leadership are very much still in the country.
A good sign of someone who just started paying attention yesterday is when that person doesn’t know Wing of Zion has been flown out of the country basically whenever there’s been an escalation in the last couple of years. https://t.co/5qu1DEJiXT
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) March 1, 2026
Iran & the Ayatollah Are the Good Guys?
Not content with attacking Israel and the U.S., some went so far as to portray the Islamic Republic and the Ayatollah (you know, the state and leader recently responsible for the murder of thousands of their own citizens) in a positive light.
The British rapper Lowkey posted on X, celebrating Iran as “the only state in the world that materially supports the Palestinians’ right to armed resistance against occupation, as recognized by UN Resolution 3246.” In other words, Iran is great because it supports terrorism against Israel.
Another account portrayed the Iranian regime as being open to peace and a negotiated settlement, and the war is due to Netanyahu’s “bloodthirsty fantasy.”
Iran is the only state in the world that materially supports the Palestinians’ right to armed resistance against occupation, as recognized by UN Resolution 3246.
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) February 28, 2026
With regards to the Ayatollah, far-left American activist Calla Walsh posted a paean to him as the “leader of the free world” while The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur (known for his vein-popping diatribes against the Jewish state) let his hundreds of thousands of followers know that he is a critic of the Ayatollah but admires the fact that the Iranian leader died instead of “kneeling to Israel.” See, even monsters have their good sides, as long as they’re anti-Israel.
Rest in peace to the leader of the free world
His blood has watered the seeds of universal liberation… May a global uprising avenge him, complete the great flood, and never foresake the path of resistance to the Great Satan
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un pic.twitter.com/FWICgki7Qv
— Calla (@CallaWalsh) March 1, 2026
“Israeli Government Is Addicted to Killing Children”
As Iran and the Ayatollah were being praised on social media, others spent their time portraying the Jewish state as the most evil entity in the world.
Cenk Uygur’s co-host Ana Kasparian used her popular X account to post that “Israel is a terror state that revels in slaughtering children and stealing land.”
At the same time, U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib posted that “The Israeli government is addicted to killing children” in response to the false claim that an Israeli attack had killed over 100 schoolgirls. This one line garnered over 200,000 views on X.
Israel is a terror state that revels in slaughtering children and stealing land. What more is there to say?
Our alliance with Israeli genociders is a stain on the U.S. and nothing brings me more shame than to live under a government that supports modern-day Nazis.
— Ana Kasparian (@AnaKasparian) February 28, 2026
Tucker Carlson’s Favorite Historian Goes Off the Deep End
In a category all his own is Darryl Cooper (known on X as Martyr Made), who has been platformed and lauded by Tucker Carlson as one of the top historians out there.
In one post, Cooper manages to (a) turn Purim from a celebration of the saving of the Jewish people from a genocidal plot to a celebration of a massacre of tens of thousands of Persians, (b) imply that Israel committed 9/11, and (c) make reference to the occult and Kabbalah as some sort of auspicious reason for why Israel and the U.S. chose February 28 as the day to attack Iran.
All that nonsense in one post? Quite a remarkable feat.
“Alright, now attack Iran during Purim, the Jewish holiday celebrating the massacre of 75,000 Persians. Start the attack on the 11th day of the 9th month on the Muslim calendar.”
“But sir, won’t that cause people to reconsider who was responsible for 9/11?”
“Do it. Make sure… pic.twitter.com/YBWgP4Eusn
— Martyr Made (@martyrmade) February 28, 2026
Mad ravings on social media are nothing new.
The danger inherent in the above-mentioned posts is that, through their millions of views, they help craft a narrative that portrays the dangerous Islamic Republic as “the good guys,” present Israel and the U.S. as the true threat to the region, and peddle absurd conspiracy theories that are meant to fracture Western public opinion.
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