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Iran’s state TV crossed a line this week when a presenter picked up an AK‑47 and fired at a screen showing the United Arab Emirates flag. The strange, violent stunt aired on state-run Ofogh TV and is not just bad TV theater. It is a loud signal that Tehran is using propaganda to normalize weapons, stoke militant nationalism, and threaten neighbors — all under the banner of “defense.”
What aired on Iranian state TV
Host, IRGC instructor, and a screen with the UAE flag
The segment showed an IRGC member teaching host Hossein Hosseini how to handle an AK‑47. After the lesson, the host aimed the rifle at an image of the UAE flag and opened fire. Other recent clips on the same channel included masked IRGC figures demonstrating guns and rocket-propelled grenades, and hosts openly wishing bullets would “hit their target” when shown images of foreign leaders. This wasn’t a movie prop or satire. It was state television, designed for Iranians to watch at home.
Why Tehran is pushing this message
Propaganda, mobilization, and a wartime posture
The state broadcaster defended the programming as a necessary “wartime posture” and a way to teach people about “jihad” and “defense.” That explanation is thin. What we are seeing is deliberate propaganda: teach people to love guns, to accept violence, and to view neighbors and the West as enemies. It’s a classic tactic of a regime that wants to keep its people scared, loyal, and ready to do its bidding. Call it martial messaging with a PR campaign attached.
Regional danger and the response
Shooting a flag on camera may seem symbolic, but symbols become actions. The UAE and other Gulf states have already suffered drone and missile strikes linked to Iran’s proxies and programs. When a government puts images of its neighbors in the crosshairs on national TV, it lowers the bar for real-world attacks and makes miscalculation more likely. Gulf publics and governments reacted with outrage, and for good reason: this is escalation dressed up as entertainment. The world should not shrug at state media that teaches people to aim weapons at others.
What should be done about state-sponsored militarism
Exposure and pressure are the right first steps. Gulf allies and the United States should call out the propaganda, increase intelligence sharing, and tighten sanctions on entities that support IRGC operations. Democracies should also make clear they will not accept the normalization of violence by a regime that already poses a security threat. Iran’s broadcasts are not a harmless show — they are a recruitment and fear machine. Treat them that way.
In short, this is more than an act of poor taste on television. It is a deliberate effort to glue martial behavior to national identity and to frighten both domestic audiences and neighboring states. We should watch the screen carefully — and plan our response off it — before those bullets on TV find their way into the real world.
