S.Korea fire clip falsely linked to renewed US-Iran fighting
- Published on July 17, 2026 at 09:11
- 2 min read
- By Vishesh SINGH, AFP India
Fighting between the United States and Iran over the vital Strait of Hormuz rekindled in July 2026, but footage circulating online showing a pillar of smoke from a burning structure is unrelated to the hostilities. The video depicts a fire at a logistics warehouse in South Korea in November 2025.
"Iran 'completely destroys' patriot air defences, fuel tanks, radar at US Gulf bases," reads text superimposed on the clip, posted by the Times of India newspaper on Instagram on July 14, 2026.
It shows a thick plume of smoke billowing from a building engulfed in flames.
Similar posts spread elsewhere on Instagram, Facebook and Threads as US forces launched strikes on Iran with bridges and transport infrastructure among the apparent targets.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other American bases in the Gulf (archived link).
The renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz came a month after the signing of a preliminary deal that aimed to end the conflict, which broke out in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran (archived link).
However, the circulating clip is unrelated and was in fact filmed in South Korea.
A Google reverse image search of keyframes, followed by keyword searches surfaced a higher-quality Instagram video published on November 15, 2025 (archived link).
The Korean-language caption reads, "Live: Cheonan Pungse E land Fire".
The clip was featured in a November 17 report by Singapore media Channel News Asia, which included other videos from a fire at a logistics facility in South Korea's Chungcheong province (archived link).
According to reports at the time, the fire at the E-Land Fashion logistics centre, a major retail hub in South Korea, was brought under control after nine hours, with no casualties reported (archived link).
The multi-storey warehouse stored a vast amount of clothing, shoes and other highly flammable goods.
In the original clip, the name of the logistics centre is visible and matches Naver Maps street imagery of the building in Cheonan city in South Chungcheong province (archived link).
AFP has debunked other claims falsely linking unrelated clips to the conflict in the Middle East.
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