The war on Iran faces a MAGA backlash

The Listening PostFour weeks into the war on Iran, the White House continues to confuse the public and the press with constant pivots and contradictions.Now the administration faces even more pressure as many of its own supporters have started to turn against it. This war has split up the MAGA movement, with an intriguing debate currently happening outside the mainstream and in the midst of their own media sphere.Contributors: Jamal Abdi – President, National Iranian American Council Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative Ben Lorber – Senior research analyst, Political Research AssociatesOn our radarThis week, the Israeli parliament approved the first vote on a bill that introduces a mandatory death penalty by hanging. This applies to any Palestinian convicted of killing Israelis in attacks defined as “terrorism” or motivated by “hatred”. Ryan Kohls reports on how this bill has been promoted in the media.Memes, trash talk and AI – the online war between Washington and TehranThe propaganda war in the ongoing war on Iran has taken a new form.Beyond the traditional tactics, both the US and Iran are increasingly using memes and trash-talk mockery of the adversary through AI-driven animations, designed with virality in mind. We look at the strategies behind the different messaging coming out of Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran.Featuring: Meredith Clark – Professor, University Of North Carolina Roger Stahl – Documentarian and author, Militainment, Inc. Marc Owen Jones – Associate professor, Northwestern University In QatarPublished On 28 Mar 2026