Iran uses pink rockets and Japanese aesthetics to mask the violent repressions from recent history.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has launched a controversial visual campaign, presenting pink missiles and drones, alongside women with uncovered hair waving flags. Liora Hendelman-Baavur, an expert in Iranian culture, compares this aesthetic to the Japanese 'kawaii' culture, suggesting that the regime is trying to make violence appear attractive to young people. The campaign comes shortly after one of the most violent crackdowns in recent history, in which tens of thousands of people were killed.

Siavash Rokni, a pop culture expert, emphasizes that these images are a public relations exercise meant to generate media circulation, regardless of the message conveyed. Although many Iranians recognize the difference between reality and the staged image, there are concerns that the international audience might perceive these images as representative of normalcy. Arash Azizi suggests that this aesthetic change may indicate internal pressures on the regime, which is moving away from Islamist ideology. However, beneath this pink paint, the harsh realities of repression and violence in Iran persist.