Israel's viral "trolling" of Iran during the UN General Assembly

Within the framework of the 78th edition of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), more than 140 leaders from different countries parade through New York City. Joe Biden , Volodomir Zelenskyy and Miguel Díaz-Canel (leader of the Cuban dictatorship) are some of the leaders who have already spoken from the famous podium. Additional speakers include Ebrahim Raisi, president of Iran, who already generated some controversy among Israeli officials in the Big Apple.

It turns out that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Consulate in New York worked together to prepare for the arrival of Ali Khamenei's envoy, the supreme leader of Iran. The preparations involved printing a life-size figure of Raisi, in which he holds a rope and sports an inscription that dictates the following: "Open for all, except for this murderer."

The social media of the State of Israel soon spread images of the cardboard figure in different places around NYC, such as the New York Public Library, the Rockefeller Center, the Metropolitan Museum and the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, also known as the 'Butcher of Tehran' for his role in murdering thousands of Iranians, will arrive in New York for the General Assembly on September 19. These are just a few of the lifesize cutouts that we placed around New York alerting locals that Raisi is barred from visiting NY's iconic sites due to ironclad sanctions against him for his human rights abuses," they published on their X account, formerly known as Twitter.

"While Iran tries to normalize its reputation by having Raisi attend some events at his hotel and embassy, we wanted to remind them that no amount of PR can hide Raisi's crimes against humanity," they added.

As clarified by a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the objective of the advertising campaign is none other than to "troll Raisi" and counter his narrative that states that "everything is fine" in Iran.

"He will speak before the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), one of the most prestigious research institutes in the U.S., meet privately with bloggers and influencers at the Hilton Millennium Hotel, and speak at the UN as if business were as usual, when in reality he is subject to sanctions and can only move between the airport, the UN building and his hotel. Our goal is to convey this message to the public. The aim is to convey the message that Raisi is not legitimate," he added.