AI-generated video falsely linked to US strikes on Iran
- Published on July 18, 2026 at 10:37
- 2 min read
- By Sammy HEUNG, AFP Hong Kong
The United States launched extensive attacks on Iran as hostilities between the two resumed in early July, but a video of missile strikes on what appears to be an oil facility does not show the attacks. It contains visual artefacts indicative of synthetic content, while a detection tool has flagged it as AI-generated.
"Iran: Trump replenished ammunition during the ceasefire! Today he pulled out another big move, I was careless, caught off guard!" says a simplified Chinese X post shared on July 14.
It includes a video that shows people, donned in helmets and uniforms, running frantically as missiles rain down on what appears to be an oil depot.
The Middle East war rekindled in July as the United States and Iran once again exchanged blows in battles over the vital Strait of Hormuz (archived link).
Local authorities said US strikes hit in an Iranian border area near Iraq and Kuwait on July 14, while the city of Abadan -- which hosts the oldest oil refinery in the Middle East -- as well as the port city of Mahshahr were targeted, deputy governor of Khuzestan province Valiollah Hayati said (archived link).
Similar claims have appeared on Threads and X, as well as in English, Arabic and Spanish.
But the clip does not show the recent strikes in Iran and was created using AI.
It contains visual errors indicative of AI content -- including a man running at the start of the video disappearing shortly after he falls to the ground.
The human figures seem unnatural. Some of them are distorted and meshed together. The white hats on some of the staff turn yellow as they run from the explosions.
An analysis by Hive Moderation, an AI detection tool, showed that it is 85 percent likely to be AI-generated.
A reverse image search on Google using screenshots found the video was published on March 31 by an Instagram account that regularly shares AI-generated content (archived link).
Shortly after the Middle East war broke out in February, the United States and Israel hit five oil facilities with overnight strikes in and near the Iranian capital on March 8 (archived link). AFP also distributed photos of the attack at the time.
AFP has debunked a series of false claims related to the Middle East war.
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