Israel has suggested that the Iranian military spokesperson known for mocking Donald Trump may be artificial intelligence.
In a post on the IDF’s Farsi-language account, Israeli officials said that Ebrahim Zolfaghari seems more like an AI-generated product than a real human.
‘If you have seen him in an interview or in the field, tell us. If not, help us prove that he is an artificial intelligence product,’ the post reads.
‘Are [they] forced to create fictional characters to talk to people? And what does this say about the credibility of their messages?’
Having gained global attention for mocking Trump, Zolfaghari has been likened to ‘Comical Ali’ – the infamously inaccurate Iraqi Minister of Information, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf.
Zolfaghari gained notoriety for his attempts to conduct psychological warfare against Israel and the US, famously warning that US troops would become ‘food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf’ and threatened to return Israel to the ‘Stone Age.
In one video almost three weeks into the war, Zolfaghari mocked Donald Trump for his use of social media, telling the president: ‘The outcome of war cannot be determined by tweets, the result of war is determined on the field.’
He continued: ‘The very place where you and your forces do not dare approach and you can only talk about it in your tweets.’
Wearing military clothing, Zolfaghari ended his message with a mocking smile, telling Trump: ‘It is better to name this war as Epic Fear, instead of Epic Fury.’
In another video after Trump floated joint control of the Strait of Hormuz and suggested he didn’t know who was currently leading Iran, Zolfaghari ridiculed the US President saying:
‘Hey, Trump, you are fired… You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.’
In a separate video, Zolfaghari intensified his criticism and questioned Washington’s claims of diplomacy.
‘Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?’ he added.
Similar to the current Iranian spokesperson, Iraq’s 2003 Information Minister, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf known as ‘Comical Ali’, became infamous for his delusional daily briefings during the US invasion.
At the war’s start, Al-Sahhaf boasted that American troops would ‘all die.’
He once claimed previous foreign invaders had always met a disastrous end, citing a obscure history book for journalists to read at his home.
And he frequently mocked Western leaders as ‘blood-sucking bastards,’ losers, and fools.
In one particularly outrageous moment, Comical Ali declared to western journalists that the ‘infidels’ were facing ‘slaughter’ even as US tanks rolled into Baghdad.
From his vantage point on the roof of Baghdad’s Palestine Hotel, and ignoring the sight of Iraqi troops retreating across the Tigris, Al-Sahhaf proclaimed that the city was ‘safe.’
‘Baghdad is safe. The battle is still going on. Their infidels are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Baghdad. Don’t believe those liars,’ he declared.
Israel’s suggestion that Zolfaghari may be AI comes as Iran has ramped up its cyber propaganda efforts against the West through bizarre AI videos.
At the start of the war, Iranian state media shared a bizarre video that used LEGO figures to depict attacks across the Middle East, including at the UK’s military base in Cyprus.
The AI-generated video showed a shot of a barrage of missiles hitting RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and skyscrapers in Dubai.
It began with LEGO figures of both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu with the Devil looking over the Epstein Files, before Trump hits a big red button.
Missiles can also be seen hitting targets including the US embassy in Saudi Arabia, an American military base in Bahrain, Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion.
The video also showed Iranian rockets slamming into a depiction of the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel.
Other scenes show LEGO gunboats closing the Strait of Hormuz off, while suited figures weep over the skyrocketing price of oil.
More AI Lego videos quickly began to circulate, with the creator admitting to the BBC that the regime is a ‘customer.’
Meanwhile, the US has found itself embroiled in its own AI scandal, after Donald Trump shared a generated image on Truth Social, showing himself dressed in red and white robes in a Jesus-like pose.
In the image published on Sunday, Trump appeared to heal a man as American symbols, including the flag, military personnel and fighter jets, fill the background.
The image sparked a furious backlash from both Trump’s critics and his supporters.
He later deleted the image, claiming he viewed the picture as him being a Red Cross doctor.
‘Normally I don’t like doing that, but I didn’t want to have anybody be confused. People were confused,’ he said of his removal of the image.
