· 126 comments · Save ·
News & Current Events Apr 14, 2026 at 10:46 PM

Iran slams YouTube ban on pro-Iranian group’s Lego-style AI videos

Posted by avdvetf

Iran slams YouTube ban on pro-Iranian group’s Lego-style AI videos
Al Jazeera
Iran slams YouTube ban on pro-Iranian group’s Lego-style AI videos
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the move aims to 'suppress the truth about their illegal war on Iran'.
🚩 Report this post

126 Comments

Sign in to comment — or just click the box below.
🔒 Your email is never shown publicly.
iamnotafbiagnt Apr 14, 2026 +1228
Lego unironically probably got it taken down or told YouTube to take it down
1228
NeuroticNabarlek Apr 14, 2026 +555
Yep, Iran should have done megablocks videos instead. Rookie mistake.
555
Smith6612 Apr 14, 2026 +71
If that doesn't work, then they need to double down and use some White Label Block name.
71
Mysterious_Lesions Apr 14, 2026 +29
Rose art.
29
EFIW1560 Apr 15, 2026 +8
Man why do roseart crayons suck so hard.
8
doomgoblin Apr 15, 2026 +17
Definitely not the tastiest.
17
EFIW1560 Apr 15, 2026 +10
Yeah they got the red all wrong. The day they switched from Crayola to roseart in MREs was the day America began its steep descent.
10
doomgoblin Apr 15, 2026 +2
😂 don’t get me started on teal.
2
Medallicat Apr 15, 2026 +2
US Marine detected
2
RockstarAgent Apr 15, 2026 +5
K’nex
5
deejaesnafu Apr 15, 2026 +4
Lincoln logs
4
bnh1978 Apr 15, 2026 +2
Why does it gotta be white?
2
Smith6612 Apr 15, 2026 +1
*Insert Generic no-brand phrase here*
1
sk1nnyjeans Apr 14, 2026 +11
People used to make homemade music videos using The Sims and put them on YouTube, I’m sure it could make a resurgence 20 years later.
11
GraphiteOxide Apr 15, 2026 +2
Dang that awakened some nostalgia I totally forgot about
2
russellvt Apr 15, 2026 +7
Technically, it wasn't Iran, but some marketing firm (AMG?) that was "hired."
7
Atralis Apr 15, 2026 +2
*I'd rather lose the war than settle for megablocks* - unidentified Iranian official.
2
iamfareel Apr 15, 2026 +1
K'nex*
1
PrincessNakeyDance Apr 14, 2026 +103
Yeah. In general Lego is pretty adamant about not making war Lego sets. So I’m sure they really didn’t like the use of their IP in violent war propaganda videos.
103
puppetlord Apr 15, 2026 +35
Meanwhile: Lego Star Wars. /s
35
wartopuk Apr 15, 2026 +17
Star Wars is science fiction. Lego is against any kind of modern depection of war. They also had the pirates and castle lines.
17
Apophthegmata Apr 15, 2026 +10
What I'm hearing is that we just have to wait a couple hundred years and then we can have the Battle of Faluja Lego set.
10
wartopuk Apr 15, 2026 +5
You can just buy oxford blocks from Korea. Brick quality is as good as Lego and they do modern military, a lot of their vehicles are based on real Korean military vehicles.
5
RapaNow Apr 15, 2026 +1
Which is apparent from this playlist : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OHAvMgQHcc&list=PLc4-CE1ZabtPBWvvUKZgSRby5MsHpks-k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OHAvMgQHcc&list=PLc4-CE1ZabtPBWvvUKZgSRby5MsHpks-k)
1
HoldFast31 Apr 15, 2026 +8
Lego is a Danish company, so like... you're probably right, but maaayyybeeeeee...
8
mcirillo Apr 15, 2026 +5
They should try Pokemon next. I hear Nintendo is pretty chill
5
iamnotafbiagnt Apr 15, 2026 +1
They already did that
1
szczszqweqwe Apr 14, 2026 +14
Probably, but also, as fun to watch as thos videos are, it's unlikely that strong anti US President propaganda videos will be available on american platofmr when those two countries are in a war.
14
rube_X_cube Apr 15, 2026 +10
Seems pretty reasonable, tbh
10
[deleted] Apr 14, 2026 +805
[deleted]
805
FewResearcher2606 Apr 14, 2026 +277
Even before this shutdown, YouTube was banned inside iran and was only accessible via VPN. It was not only YouTube though, the same Twitter that they use to post against the west is also banned for Iranian people, even before the internet shutdown.
277
FewResearcher2606 Apr 14, 2026 +68
For those who are curious, the current internet shutdown began with the war. Before that, the internet was there, but nearly all websites or social media apps were blocked and could only be accessed with VPN. Apps such as YouTube, Listnook, Instagram, Twitter (or X), WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and many others were blocked and to use them you had to find a reliable VPN. But that was a hard thing to do because the government did its best to block them too.
68
plsbeagoodneighbor Apr 14, 2026 +61
The Internet shutdown began during the protests
61
FewResearcher2606 Apr 14, 2026 +12
Yes and no. It began during the protest, but they opened it again for like 3 weeks, then the war happened and they shut it down again
12
Mortimer1234 Apr 15, 2026 +11
Yes, so it just began while they were silently slaughtering 30k+ protestors, but they opened up again for a bit
11
FewResearcher2606 Apr 15, 2026 +5
They do it in every protest to be precise. 1404 (2026) 1401 (2022) 1398 (2019) In these protests, they cut off the internet for everyone
5
Dark_World_Blues Apr 15, 2026 +16
So, they ban YouTube but they use it. In all my life I didn't think there are countries that banned YouTube, maybe except for North Korea.
16
Finmail Apr 15, 2026 +30
You basically summed up the entire IRGC/Iranian leadership. Most of these super-religious, h******* militant leaders lead a double life. They send their families out west to get educated, and spend in excess of luxury goods. Even currently, IRGC members and government officials have access to the internet, while the citizens don't. Rules for you, but not for me.
30
Dark_World_Blues Apr 15, 2026 +8
Yeah, a classic example of rule for thee but not for me. They will probably justify why they bend the rules to themselves and to their families but not to the public.
8
Primary-Debate-549 Apr 15, 2026 +3
Basic, first step for propaganda. You must create a split information landscape for the people you depend on vs the world. Nobody will believe Iran's viewpoint is reasonable if they have access to real information (in other words: Youtube is only the first step). Of course, then they f*** it up. 95% Iranians want them gone (and at least half of those want them dead). And odds are pretty good it would actually have been better without propaganda.
3
kalmah Apr 15, 2026 +9
It's banned in China too.
9
Dark_World_Blues Apr 15, 2026 +2
I didn't know that
2
alpy-dev Apr 15, 2026 +5
Türkiye did ban Wikipedia and YouTube for a long while.
5
Dark_World_Blues Apr 15, 2026 +1
Are they still banned
1
alpy-dev Apr 15, 2026 +6
Not anymore, but they stayed banned for multiple years.
6
FewResearcher2606 Apr 15, 2026 +4
Yeah. But it gets even worse. They banned all of these, and then started selling VPN to the people. so unfortunately this led to mass usage of VPNs by everyone, including children (my little brother started using VPN from the age of 10) So, this ban essentially did nothing to prevent the population from using these apps or websites , telegram and Instagram are still extremely popular despite their efforts to make us use government sponsored (and monitored) apps.
4
PositiveUse Apr 15, 2026 +20
China Russia Iran and many more use our western tools like social media to dismantle our societies …
20
CircumspectCapybara Apr 14, 2026 +13
*If those [Listnookors] could read, they would be extremely upset.*
13
Regular_Print_7650 Apr 15, 2026 +2
Same country that killed 30k protestors and has the highest child execution rate in the world. But libs on here will be crying over them getting banned on youtube of course
2
elpresidente000 Apr 15, 2026 +1
Glad someone said it.
1
GeorgeWashingfun Apr 15, 2026 +113
Iran complaining about "censorship" is funnier than any meme they could ever cook up.
113
Wynter_born Apr 15, 2026 +27
Anyone else tired of 'slammed'? It's quickly becoming a bread sandwich in terms of journalistic impact. Someone rejects an opinion? Oh hell naw that doesn't get the click. They SLAMMED their opinion, now we're generating. It's practically a snub if a high-profile entity doesn't get Slammed once every few weeks.
27
Piggywonkle Apr 15, 2026 +5
> It's quickly becoming People have been slamming 'slammed' for probably close to two decades at this point. Maybe when the other half of the US can read at least at a middle school level, we'll see verbs that aren't exclusively appropriated from WWE and UFC.
5
____DEADPOOL_______ Apr 15, 2026 +2
I don't know about everyone else but I feel like I've been suplexed by John Cena himself every time I read these articles.
2
XtremeBadgerVII Apr 15, 2026 +113
lol YouTube was banned in Iran before this conflict even started and now the whole internet is shut off there. This is just pandering to useful idiots in the west (listnookors)
113
xnmyl Apr 15, 2026 +3
You're a Listnookor. Do you feel the pandering was effective?
3
CoryOpostrophe Apr 14, 2026 +92
Do Lincoln logs. Really get him in the republican jewels
92
[deleted] Apr 14, 2026 +12
[deleted]
12
iamnotafbiagnt Apr 14, 2026 +5
Brokeback mountain 2 staring jd Vance and a leather couch
5
TheOriginalBroCone Apr 14, 2026 +4
Lol I haven't heard someone talk about those in like a decade
4
KriptiKFate_Cosplay Apr 14, 2026 +20
Fuckin' slammed, at least they didn't hit out
20
Gargamel813 Apr 14, 2026 +2
Berated by the backlash.
2
CanWeGoHomeMa Apr 15, 2026 +3
Will trump CLAP back?
3
SLR107FR-31 Apr 14, 2026 +34
The same country that censors women's appearance outside...
34
CucumberWisdom Apr 14, 2026 +47
Sorry Iran but slop is slop. No exceptions
47
Dauntless_Idiot Apr 15, 2026 +6
If it can't trick me into thinking its not AI then its slop.
6
ProfessorZhu Apr 15, 2026 +3
But if it can, then it is a monster that needs to be destroyed
3
TheModWhoShaggedMe Apr 14, 2026 +26
YouTube has plenty of exceptions of AI slop. I skipped past at least five of them earlier.
26
c_c_c__combobreaker Apr 14, 2026 +10
Slop wasn't the issue because there's tons of AI slop on YouTube. I think it was the use of LEGO style animation?
10
CircumspectCapybara Apr 14, 2026 +65
Good lol. We don't need more IRGC propaganda AI slop flooding our feeds, and western platforms are under no obligation to host propaganda on behalf of states warring with the west or to aid in their cyber ops campaigns. The IRGC can always find another private platform that would welcome them, or they could make their own YouTube and post music videos and deepfakes all day long. A subset of Listnookors would definitely join and watch it. And they could invite ISIS too, since that entity also seems curiously to have been de-platformed by these *horrible, biased* western platforms.
65
dtjunkie19 Apr 14, 2026 +72
Can we ban MAGA AI Slop fascist propaganda flooding our feeds as well?
72
[deleted] Apr 15, 2026 +44
[deleted]
44
dtjunkie19 Apr 15, 2026 +4
Listnook? No. Facebook (not that I'm on Facebook unless I have to be)? Other social media? Absolutely, unless I actively block or hide content.
4
sundae_diner Apr 15, 2026 +2
Yes. In the last few days we had "jesus trump". There was the trump gaza extravaganza a few weeks earlier.  So yeah,  maga AI propaganda post **have** been flooding my listnook feed.
2
CircumspectCapybara Apr 15, 2026 +22
How much unironic (i.e., they're not posting it to mock it) MAGA content are you seeing on Listnook or YouTube? Meanwhile, many Listnookors unironically simp for the Islamic Republic of Iran and their propaganda videos. I'm fine with platforms where concerned citizens can get together to criticize their government, and Listnook and YouTube and many such others are just that. But if ISIS started making YouTube videos, I'd have no problem if YouTube removed them and de-platformed them, they're a terrorist organization and their values don't align with YouTube's, and YouTube is a private platform who has the freedom of speech right against compelled speech, and freedom of association to choose not to associate with that garbage. If YouTube doesn't want to be associated with ISIS, if YouTube doesn't want to be associated with the IRGC, no complaints there.
22
TJ-LEED-AP Apr 15, 2026 +5
Listnook and YouTube are covered in MAGA content… what..
5
GlobuleNamed Apr 14, 2026 +18
We need to keep having Jesus Trump showing the error of our ways, I suppose....
18
Kakkoister Apr 15, 2026 +5
Or, how about neither? We can do neither.
5
Zib559 Apr 15, 2026 +3
Why not get their own platform and upload to it instead of "the devil's" platform?
3
SgtBaxter Apr 15, 2026 +3
There’s a ban? I can’t tell with all the Lego videos I see.
3
mike194827 Apr 15, 2026 +6
Just ban all AI videos and they can't complain about this specific targeted ban
6
Pale_Potential_409 Apr 15, 2026 +7
As far as propaganda goes, these were fire. 
7
Jabjab345 Apr 14, 2026 +48
I can't lie, those were legit good propaganda and pretty catchy
48
HugsForUpvotes Apr 14, 2026 +40
They were pretty objectively terrible. Also, this is a government that killed at least 7,007 of their own civilians in January and probably significantly more than that. Let's not let our hatred of Trump blind our values.
40
TorchbeareroftheStar Apr 14, 2026 +64
From what I've seen this is how listnookors have been reacting - Trump and White House post edgy memes: "Trump is so cringe, leaders shouldn't be acting like that, his memes suck" Iran and the IRGC post edgy meme: "wow these memes are funny and relatable, Trump got owned!"
64
ForwardHuckleberry26 Apr 15, 2026 +47
Tbf, Trump's memes are so absolutely deranged and insane that it isn't hard at all for the IRGC or anyone to make better ones
47
mjduce Apr 15, 2026 +15
Both sides are garbage, but you have to admit Iran's Lego videos were bangers - even if the propaganda itself isn't flying your kite
15
agaloch2314 Apr 15, 2026 +2
Not remotely the same. The Iranian videos are clever, at least.
2
ProfessorZhu Apr 15, 2026 +3
"When I post shit, that is incomprehensible. People hate it! But when they post stuff that is good once a blue moon, and people like the good ones!? Absolute dog shit, must be brainwashing!"
3
Jabjab345 Apr 14, 2026 +23
I'm not pro Iran to be clear, but the videos were catchy nonetheless. I am however very against the pointless war.
23
meltdown_popcorn Apr 15, 2026 +8
The Iranian propaganda creators were really smart. They were tapped into western social media's Trump opposition and riding the wave of the already-growing sentiment and judging by the responses, they work. Much more intentional and effective than the chaos-bombs the Trump admin uses. Obviously, anyone in the other bubble wouldn't recognize that the Iranians are just using American's own criticisms of the Trump regime as their propaganda source. Just judging by the conservative sublistnook, it all probably sounds made up to them.
8
_Lucille_ Apr 15, 2026 +3
I don't like the type of argument where people go "you have done this horrible thing, so whatever you do is terrible/whatever you say is wrong". The world doesn't exist in black and white, nor does it exist in a linear scale. Even given how terrible the Iranian government is, the propaganda videos worked because it struck a cord. They don't just go viral because they are terrible - reality is that they worked because people agree with various parts (like trump being a pedo). America has done it's fair share of dirty work as well, does that somehow invalidate media with patriotic tones? (Like the usa song Trump kept using) It is fine to criticize the terrible things the regime has done against its citizens while also saying "that's a fun video and they have got a point".
3
xmuskorx Apr 15, 2026 +6
They were trash rate tiktok slop propaganda
6
tupe12 Apr 15, 2026 +2
If nothing else, they proved that the anti-ai crowd has lost. Every time someone called it ai slop they got downvoted and trash talked, while everyone else cheered it. And before someone what-abouts, yes the Trump administration is also guilty of posting ai generated propaganda. It doesn’t matter if you’re left or right, critics of this sort of content are going to dwindle more and more
2
Kakkoister Apr 16, 2026 +1
It's proved no such thing lmao (also wrong, most of the anti-AI comments here are in the positive). Negative sentiment is continually growing against AI. Just because we're not at "majority of world understands now" doesn't mean it's lost, it takes time for people to learn and understand why they shouldn't be supportive of it. There is also A LOT of hypocrisy from people around this specific video because of the highly political nature. There are a lot of people in the far-left especially who will argue that this video is more important for the sake of pushing back against Trump than the fight against AI slop. They're the type of people who consistently are hypocrites with their morals, and are also even more terminally online and ready to dig deep in comments sections to downvote opinions they don't like.
1
tupe12 Apr 16, 2026 +1
I’m not talking about “here” specifically, I’m talking about how the rest of the internet has reacted. Outside of the purist spaces, places where the general sentiment was that ai generated content is “slop” have been spreading those Lego videos and treating them the same way as non-ai content. It’s not the first time ai content has been getting that sort of attention, but it’s how this stuff gets normalized online. And the more normal it becomes, the less people who will call ai “slop”. It won’t happen in days, it’ll happen over years.
1
[deleted] Apr 14, 2026
[deleted]
0
No-Space937 Apr 15, 2026 +2
You are aware that Iran is also the "right"
2
landomakesatable Apr 15, 2026 +3
Those videos are crazy good.
3
enterthehawkeye Apr 15, 2026 +3
Come on an SLAM and welcome to IRAN
3
xmuskorx Apr 15, 2026 +6
Lol. Coming from a place that 100% blocked all internet....
6
GarnetOblivion1 Apr 14, 2026 +11
We don’t want that AI slop
11
skeleton949 Apr 14, 2026 +15
They were terrorist AI slop. They won't be missed.
15
LateNightCoffeeShop Apr 15, 2026 +2
Damn i love them little lego vids
2
wokkizlish Apr 15, 2026 +2
Slammed? To slams you say? Slammed? To slams you slam? Slam? Slam slam slam slam. Slamed?
2
Mana_Seeker Apr 14, 2026 +31
Nice No need to host openly hostile propaganda on Western platforms
31
sngldad13 Apr 14, 2026 +57
Listnook does it with glee
57
CircumspectCapybara Apr 14, 2026 +41
Islamic Listnooklutionary Guard Corps.
41
Necessary-Visit-2011 Apr 15, 2026 +13
Never got why companies do that. They live in a western economy and benefit from a western system yet are actively anti-west.
13
MacaronMost Apr 15, 2026 +9
Because that’s what gets clicks. True capitalists will never pass on easy money, no matter how hypocritical it makes them look like.
9
iuuznxr Apr 15, 2026 +5
"The capitalists will sell us the rope..." - Lenin
5
Benbot2000 Apr 14, 2026 -1
Oh, did they ban the White House?
-1
Mana_Seeker Apr 14, 2026 +13
Youtube bans Iran propaganda Listnook user asks: What about White house? Logic
13
hopium_od Apr 14, 2026 +4
I think it's more of a sign of the times. American social media channels are so frequently being used to destabilise Europe democracy and the republican party is being led by a group with the stated aim of empowering far-right nationalists on our continent.
4
Awsmdustin69 Apr 15, 2026 +3
I swear these people making these article’s titles just finished watching Space Jam.
3
AGrandNewAdventure Apr 14, 2026 +4
Conservatives are the biggest snowflakes you could ever find, and they're also really f****** weird.
4
TruthSeekerHuey Apr 14, 2026 +6
Bring them back they were BANGERS
6
dr_obfuscation Apr 15, 2026 +2
Ohhhh, Cheeto man really didn't like them talking about how much he rapes children, huh?
2
taisui Apr 14, 2026 -2
So creative, imagine if their government is not so.....butt hurt.
-2
Probably10thAccount Apr 15, 2026 +1
Freedom of speech crowd around?
1
864rad Apr 14, 2026 +1
Iran has more important things to worry about other than YouTube videos.
1
Capital-Control308 Apr 14, 2026 -1
I love those videos.
-1
Specialist-Affect701 Apr 15, 2026 +1
It’s not propaganda if it’s all true 
1
tupe12 Apr 15, 2026 +1
I wonder how the Iranian people who haven’t had access to YouTube for a good while feel seeing that headline
1
Berkuts_Lance_Plus Apr 15, 2026 +1
Oh gosh oh frick, not the hecking slamming!
1
Ulq2525 Apr 15, 2026 +1
Slam? What kind of dinosaur wrote this? Did color exist when this dope was born?
1
← Back to Board