Iranian authorities have unveiled "True Promise," a new video game dramatizing its attacks on Israel and other military exploits in the region in a bid to boost domestic support for its controversial interventions in the Mideast.
A clip from the game was presented on a national morning show last week by a uniformed officer of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military force spearheading Tehran's foreign operations.
The game appeared to deploy dated graphics and features five levels set in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Israel, culminating in 'Operation True Promise'—the name Iran uses for its April and October 2024 strikes on Israel.
Players can launch missiles at shipping as Iran-allied Houthi fighters in Yemen or shell Israel as Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.
Developed after the April attack following directives from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the game aims to glorify Iran's military exploits. A trial version is now available on an Iranian online platform.
The development of True Promise aligns with Iran's broader agenda of using state media to project power and influence, in what Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called cultural warfare.
Khamenei has specifically mentioned video games as a means to promote Tehran's narratives of global events, according to Colonel Ehsan Rasti, Head of the Organization for the Development of Sacred Defense Culture in Virtual Space and New Technologies.
"In line with the Supreme Leader's directives after Operation True Promise, we tried to make this operation remain in history and its honors be passed on to adolescents. Accordingly, a game called True Promise was designed,” Rasti said.
“The Supreme Leader explicitly said that the Americans instill their objectives and perceptions in the audience through games, to the extent that a teenage player, after finishing a game, feels that their country has defeated Iran," he added.
The conservative Tehran-based website Tabnak quoted Hossein Allah-Karam, leader of the vigilante group Ansar Hezballah, as saying that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot follow through on their threats against Iran.
Tabnak described Allah-Karam as a political science professor at the University of Tehran and quoted him as asserting that Trump has failed to back his threats against Hamas. He concluded, “His other threat about bombing Iran if we do not sign a paper for him also cannot materialize.”
The hardline figure further claimed, “Trump’s performance has forced the United States and Israel to kneel before Gaza.”
He added, "We have achieved this with the capabilities we already have, so why should we challenge ourselves by opting to upgrade our capabilities?" This was perhaps a veiled reference to producing nuclear weapons and more potent ballistic missiles.
Allah-Karam’s remarks align with recent statements from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and some IRGC commanders suggesting Iran is prepared for conflict with Israel.
In a recent speech, Khamenei called for upgrading Iran's ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, IRGC deputy commander Ali Fadavi said on Monday that a third direct attack on Israel will happen in due course. "Operation True Promise 3 will occur at the right time," Fadavi said.
Fadavi made these remarks in response to statements by Israeli and US officials regarding Iran’s perceived weakness, as well as Trump’s threat that Israel would bomb Iran if Tehran refused to negotiate with the United States over its controversial nuclear program.
He stated, “Not a single day has passed without the world's evildoers—the Great Satan, America, and its allies—waging war against us.”
Reformist political commentator Ahmad Zeidabadi warned on Telegram that "Netanyahu has already made preparations for attacking Iran in the coming months." He appeared to be referring to Trump's backing of the plan, possibly alluding to the shipment of US-made bunker buster bombs to Israel and stationing of US B-52 bombers somewhere in the region.
Zeidabadi added that "all official statements and both direct and indirect remarks from Israeli and US officials suggest that such an attack is imminent." He cautioned that "while it might be a limited strike, its consequences could be extremely destructive and uncontrollable."
On Monday, Canadian-based military analyst Houshang Hassanyari and German-based political analyst Ali Sadrzadeh, both Iranian-born, stated on Iran International TV that the Islamic Republic appears to be preparing for war against Israel. Both analysts agreed that Iranian officials and military commanders' claims about the country's military capabilities are based on illusion rather than reality.
Hassanyari warned that "the Islamic Republic is under a dangerous illusion. Khamenei believes his forces can defend Iran and deliver heavy blows to Israeli and US forces. Even if he is not actively planning a war against Israel, his rhetoric is pushing Iran toward one."
He added that Iran lacks strong military capabilities and is destined for a major defeat in any war. If a conflict with Israel breaks out, the United States will undoubtedly intervene to support Israel.
Sadrzadeh, however, expressed skepticism about the likelihood of war. "I do not believe Iran is preparing for a war with Israel, as its commanders and top officials must have at least a basic understanding of their forces' limitations. US officials say Iran has no effective air defense, and as far as I know, Tehran no longer has allies or strategic depth in the Middle East."
He also noted that the situation has changed since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Given the protests in Iran in recent years, it is inconceivable that Iranians would rally behind Khamenei’s idea of war against Israel.