Iran’s Khamenei depicts Trump as Pharaoh in social media warning of downfall

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has launched a stark symbolic attack against U.S. President Donald Trump, using social media to draw a parallel between the American leader and arrogant, fallen rulers of history. The move escalates the war of rhetoric amid ongoing domestic unrest in Iran and persistent threats from Washington.

A Visual Prophecy of Collapse

On Monday, Khamenei’s official account on the platform X posted an image of a crumbling pharaonic sarcophagus fashioned with Trump’s face. The image was captioned simply, “Like Pharaoh.” In an accompanying message in Persian, Khamenei listed historical figures known for their tyranny and claimed they were overthrown at their peak. “This one too will be overthrown,” he declared, directly referencing Trump.

Context of Mutual Antagonism and Domestic Crisis

The symbolic post is a direct response to recent threats from Trump targeting Iran’s leadership, made against the backdrop of widespread protests inside the country. The unrest, which began in late December over a collapsing national currency and severe economic hardship, has continued for months. While official casualty figures are not released, U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimates at least 544 deaths and over 10,000 detentions related to the protests across all of Iran’s provinces.

A Strategic Message to Domestic and International Audiences

Khamenei’s imagery serves a dual purpose. Internationally, it is a defiant retort to U.S. pressure, framing the conflict as a historical struggle against arrogance that will inevitably end in the tyrant’s fall. Domestically, it seeks to redirect public frustration toward an external enemy, portraying the internal protest movement as part of a broader confrontation with a modern-day Pharaoh. The post underscores how the digital arena has become a central front for geopolitical signaling between the two adversaries.