An animated film depicting Iran's Revolutionary Guards defeating US forces will soon open in Iranian cinemas. The movie's director says he hopes the film will show “warmongering” President Trump what will happen if the US attacks the Islamic Republic.
The 88-minute film ‘Battle of the Persian Gulf II’ opens with the US Army attacking an Iranian nuclear reactor, and the US Navy in the Gulf hitting strategic locations across the country.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then retaliates against the American forces, launching ballistic missiles on the US warships.
“They all sink and the film ends as the American ships have turned into an aquarium for fishes at the bottom of the sea,” the film's director, Farhad Azima, told Reuters.
Although he said the film's release amid US President Donald Trump's hardline stance against Iran is sheer coincidence, he still hopes it will send the “warmongering” leader a message.
“I hope that the film shows Trump how American soldiers will face a humiliating defeat if they attack Iran,” he said.
Azima went on to state that the film, which was four years in the making, is in response to the “many” Hollywood films and computer games against Iran.
“...We made this film as an answer to that propaganda,” the 35-year-old said.
He noted, however, that the team behind the film has not received any money from the Iranian government, and that the IRGC had no role in the making of the movie.
“Our animators are not working for money, but for their beliefs and their love of the country. Thank God, everyone is surprised that we've managed to create such high-quality production under this poor condition,” he said, referring to the film's modest budget.
Azima said screenings of the film will begin as soon as the movie gets the necessary permissions from cultural authorities. Local outlets have reported it will be released sometime this month.
The film's upcoming release comes amid Trump's hardline rhetoric against Tehran, with the US leader saying he will not be as “kind” to the country as his predecessor Barack Obama was.
The Republican billionaire has stated that military options are not off the table when it comes to Iran, and has repeatedly criticized the nuclear accord agreed between Tehran and six world powers as “disastrous” and the “worst deal ever negotiated.” He told an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in May that his “number one priority” was to dismantle the deal.
Iran has expressed concern over the possibility of Trump dismantling the deal, which outlines Tehran's commitment to reduce its nuclear program in exchange for the six world powers – the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China – lifting international sanctions against the country.
Last month, Tehran warned Washington against “creating new tensions” with Iran over an alleged ballistic missile test which the US says it held, stating that its missiles are not in violation of United Nations resolutions because they are for defensive purposes, and are not designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran were further strained in January by Trump's travel ban on citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries, including Iran. Tehran called the ban “insulting” and vowed to take “reciprocal measures.”