Most people had never heard of Iran’s Ebrahim Zolfaghari before Sunday (March 22). Then came a video where he looked into a camera, switched to English mid-sentence, and told the President of the United States: “Hey Trump – you are fired. You are familiar with this sentence.”The internet erupted. But who exactly is this man, and what is really going on here?IRGC Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari mocks Trump in English:Hey Trump, you are fired! You are familiar with this sentence.Thank you for your attention to this matter. pic.twitter.com/t7p3z7YloR— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 22, 2026Zolfaghari is a Brigadier General and spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of the Iranian Armed Forces. Khatam al-Anbiya is essentially Iran’s operational nerve centre. It is the joint military command responsible for coordinating operations between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regular armed forces.The IRGC was created following the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the regime, and has subsequently grown into a powerful force. Thus, when Zolfaghari speaks, he represents the most powerful military institution in the Islamic Republic.With the escalation of the West Asia conflict, he has become increasingly visible online. Days earlier, Zolfaghari had addressed Israeli citizens in Hebrew, warning them that their leaders were “only using you as a human shield”. The Trump jab was the latest in a deliberate, multilingual information campaign, clearly designed to reach Western audiences directly.Explained | IRGC: How a paramilitary force became one of Iran’s most powerful organisationsWhy did Zolfaghari say ‘You are fired’?“You’re fired” was the signature catchphrase that Donald Trump used as host of the reality television show ‘The Apprentice’ (2004) to eliminate contestants. By quoting him, Zolfaghari weaponised Trump’s own cultural brand against him.But the viral moment comes amid serious concerns about the current state of the war. The remark came after Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Iran reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz or face US strikes on its power infrastructure, warning that Washington could “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran failed to comply.Story continues below this adIran’s response was anything but a joke. Zolfaghari warned that any attack on Iran’s energy network would trigger retaliation against US-linked assets across the Gulf region, including energy facilities, IT infrastructure, and water desalination plants.What’s at stake?The IRGC has warned that the Strait of Hormuz could be completely shut down if Iran is attacked. If Iran makes good on its threat, it would have severe consequences for the global economy, since the waterway handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply, estimated at between 17 and 20 million barrels per day. Already, sectors such as LPG are feeling the supply crunch.The conflict, now stretching into its fourth week, began following the joint US and Israeli launch of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ on February 28. So far, it has claimed more than 1,500 lives across Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top figures of its political and military leadership.After Trump asserted that Iran was seeking to resolve the war via talks with the US on Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei refuted his statement. He said there had been no negotiation with the US, and no direct talks since the war began.Story continues below this adIn this context, it would be easy to dismiss the “You’re fired” clip as a propaganda stunt, and it partly is. But Zolfaghari’s trolling has done its job: it framed Iran as unfazed, and even contemptuous of the powers attacking it.This comes at a moment when Trump is projecting to exert maximum pressure on both Iran (to “completely surrender”) and the US’s NATO allies (to join the war with their militaries). In doing so, the viral meme-related moment did the job that no press release could.