Hollywood is being accused of playing a role in escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, according to a recent report by WikiLeaks. The organization claims that screenwriters, many of whom are Jewish, have been promoting an image of Iran as a nuclear threat through films and television since the early 2010s. This narrative is said to have contributed to the recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran and the subsequent US military involvement, with the alleged propaganda playing a key role in shaping public opinion.
According to WikiLeaks, the narrative of an Iranian nuclear threat has been consistently portrayed in mainstream entertainment, with films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Homeland, 24, and The Fifth Estate being cited as examples. The group shared a clip of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s speech at the Oxford Union in 2013, where he discussed the opening scene of The Fifth Estate depicting Iranian scientists assembling a nuclear bomb. Assange questioned how such a lie got into the script, noting that at the time, 16 US intelligence agencies had already found no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
The report claims that this narrative served the interests of those within the system who wanted the war, with Assange stating that the portrayal of an Iranian nuclear threat was an ‘attack against Iran’ and a way to ‘fan the flames to start a war.’ Prior to the recent Israeli strikes, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence agencies had consistently denied any evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to insist that Tehran is on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim he has made for decades. At the UN General Assembly in 2012, he famously used a cartoon bomb illustration to warn that Iran was ‘months away’ from a nuclear weapon. This claim was echoed in statements in the 1990s and 2000s, despite the absence of any substantial evidence supporting it.
The recent Israeli attacks have drawn international condemnation, including from Russia, which has called the strikes illegal. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the operation as ‘an unprovoked aggression.’ The US involvement in the Israeli campaign has also been criticized, with Moscow comparing it to the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War, which was based on false claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
Inside the White House, US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran has also faced pushback, particularly from Vice President J.D. Vance, an Iraq War veteran, who opposed joining the Israeli offensive and warned during internal discussions that Israel was dragging the US into another war.
The allegations raised by WikiLeaks have sparked a debate about the role of media in shaping public opinion and international relations. Critics argue that the narrative portrayed by Hollywood is a form of political propaganda that could have contributed to the escalation of the conflict. Meanwhile, supporters of the narrative maintain that it is a necessary means of warning the public about potential threats and the importance of maintaining a strong defense.
As the situation continues to evolve, the implications of Hollywood’s alleged role in shaping public perception and influencing geopolitical decisions will likely remain a topic of discussion among policymakers, journalists, and the public.