Iranian officials are trolling President Trump with American pop culture references amid ongoing conflict, while the U.S. and Israel wage both physical and informational warfare. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have targeted Trump with his own "You're fired!" catchphrase, despite most Iranians being cut off from the internet during bombardment. Financial markets have reacted as Iran's parliament speaker alleged market manipulation through "jawboning campaigns" affecting oil prices.

The online sparring extends to financial markets, with suspiciously timed oil transactions occurring as prices fluctuated. Iranian officials have accused the U.S. of manipulating financial and oil markets through fake news, creating volatility that benefits traders who made "hundreds of millions of dollars" in suspicious trades. Both sides view these messaging battles as critical to winning support beyond their immediate audiences.

The Trump administration posts war sizzle reels drawing tens of millions of views, using American pop culture to convey power. Iran's advantage, according to security experts, comes from restricting internet access while the U.S. remains "an open book." Despite Trump's occasional calls for Iranians to rise against their government, American messaging struggles to penetrate Iran's closed information ecosystem, leaving financial markets vulnerable to both actual and psychological warfare.