Iran's state-run media aired a video depicting the mock arrest of President Donald Trump, escalating tensions amid reports of potential Iranian sleeper cells in the United States, Newsweek reported.
Iran's Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Monday aired a propaganda video, reportedly filmed in Bandar Abbas, that depicted IRGC forces detaining a Trump lookalike.
The video arises amid growing concerns about Iranian-backed sleeper cells allegedly operating within the U.S.
According to excerpts from the forthcoming book "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power" by Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt, intelligence sources warned that these cells conducted surveillance and pre-operational activities targeting Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The footage features a man dressed in Trump's signature navy suit and red tie, wearing a mask resembling the former president. The individual, wrapped in chains, walks alongside an Iranian soldier while another person, appearing to play the role of a journalist, questions him in a staged perp walk.
The video's release follows a speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he rejected any negotiations with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program.
"There should be no negotiations with such a government," Khamenei said Friday.
U.S. officials have not publicly responded to the video, but security analysts see it as a continuation of Iran's longstanding anti-American rhetoric. The concerns about Iranian sleeper cells, however, have sparked renewed discussions about national security threats linked to Tehran.
In recent years, U.S. intelligence agencies have monitored Iranian activities within the country, including networks suspected of espionage and influence operations. The reported targeting of Trump in 2024 has intensified fears that Iran may be expanding its covert operations on American soil.
The Biden administration previously imposed sanctions on IRGC-linked individuals and entities, citing their involvement in hostile activities. However, tensions between Washington and Tehran have continued to escalate, with Iran maintaining its defiance against U.S. policies.
The propaganda video is the latest in a series of symbolic acts by the Iranian regime, which has long viewed Trump as a key adversary due to his administration's "maximum pressure" campaign and the U.S. drone strike that killed IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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