Clip of Indonesian tanker passing through Hormuz is AI-generated
- Published on April 2, 2026 at 09:42
- 3 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
Jakarta has been in talks with Tehran to allow two of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, but a video supposedly showing an Iranian officer giving an Indonesian ship safe passage is generated with AI. As of April 2, 2026, there are no reports the tankers have exited the waterway, which has been closed by Iran since it was struck by the United States and Israel in February.
"The moment an Indonesian tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran–US tensions," reads an Indonesian-language Instagram post uploaded on March 11, 2026.
The video shows a man in a hard hat and orange safety vest standing on a ship, speaking in Indonesian. "We're already on board the oil tanker, currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The atmosphere is tense. We have to ask for permission before we pass through, and they’re contacting them by radio right now," he says.
The video then cuts to a different man wearing a camouflage uniform, with an Iranian flag in the background, who says in English: "OK. Thank you so much. Indonesia always we... present through here."
Similar posts surfaced on Instagram and TikTok after Indonesia's foreign ministry began lobbying Iran in early March to let two of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by Tehran in retaliation for joint US-Israeli attacks that triggered a region-wide war (archived here and here).
Around 20,000 seafarers remained stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to International Maritime Organization (archived link).
On March 27, Indonesia said it had received a "positive response" from Tehran regarding its request for safe passage for Pertamina Pride and Gamsunoro, owned by state oil giant Pertamina, through the vital shipping route (archived link).
The circulating video misled users, who thanked Iran and praised Indonesia.
"Indonesia is a peaceful country and is accepted by all countries in the world. This is the benefit. When there is a crisis, we are being prioritised. Thank you," reads one comment.
However, as of April 2, 2026, there are no official reports the two tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Pertamina Pride and Gamsunoro are still at the Arabian Gulf. They still cannot get past the Strait of Hormuz," Vega Pita, acting corporate secretary of Pertamina International Shipping told AFP on April 1.
A keyword search on various social media platforms found the video was labelled as containing AI-generated content on TikTok.
A closer look at the clip found a number of visual inconsistencies typical of AI-generated visuals.
The railings on the ship appear distorted in several frames, while people seen on a second vessel -- supposedly the Iranian one -- are disfigured.
Meanwhile, the Iranian officer who appears later in the video has a patch on his shoulder that resembles the United States flag, while his name tag his illegible and his walkie-talkie has no antenna. The Iranian flag in the background also does not appear to be attached to anything.
An analysis of the video on the Hive Moderation detector tool also found a 99.6 percent chance the footage was AI-generated (archived link).
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Middle East war.
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