AI-generated image falsely shared as Iranian strike on US military facility in the Gulf
- Published on July 31, 2026 at 15:38
- 5 min read
- By Tolera FIKRU GEMTA, AFP Ethiopia
Renewed fighting between the US and Iran in July saw military sites targeted on both sides. Posts containing an image of a building on fire were shared in Ethiopia with claims it shows a US military command centre destroyed by Iran in the Gulf. This is false; the image comes from an AI-generated video created nearly a year before the ongoing Middle East war started.
The Facebook post, published on July 17, 2026, in Amharic, reads: “Breaking: Iran destroyed a major American command centre.”
“It destroyed the large building that served as the command and control centre for the majority of American operations in the Gulf states,” the post adds.
It further claims: “Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the destruction of this massive facility, located near the Strait of Hormuz and serving as a primary hub for American command and control, was a retaliatory response to a surprise attack recently carried out by America.”
The post includes an image of a skyscraper engulfed in flames, with piles of debris visible in the foreground.
Similar claims were also shared on Facebook (here and here), as well as on Instagram.
Renewed conflict
A preliminary deal aimed at ending the war between the US and Iran failed due to a deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway key to the world's oil supply, which led to renewed conflict on July 6, 2026 (archived here).
On July 20, the US military announced that it had struck Iranian military infrastructure to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial shipping in the strait (archived here).
In response, the Iranian army said it had targeted US sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings (archived here).
Pakistan-brokered peace talks are ongoing to help de-escalate tensions between the US and Iran, even as fresh attacks from both countries continue (archived here).
However, the image purportedly showing a major US command centre bombed by Iran is AI-generated.
AI-generated disaster video
AFP Fact Check conducted a reverse image search, which traced the image to a video published on Instagram on April 18, 2025 (archived here).
“The aftermath of a massive gas explosion,” reads the caption, with the disclaimer: “Disclose: This video contains AI-generated content (sic).”
The 10-second video was published by an account called “stormpixelwallpapers”. The bio reads: “Epic nature disaster videos + AI-generated wallpapers.”
The clip was also shared on the creator’s Pinterest account with a similar description.
The image circulating with the false claim is a screenshot taken from this AI-generated video.
Several visual indicators point to the image being AI-generated. The burning high-rise has an inconsistent window and structural grid, with perspective anomalies in the scale between the skyscraper and surrounding buildings. The fire also looks more painted than real, with unnatural smoke patterns.
The debris floating on the right side of the building lacks realistic motion or logical trajectory, while the foreground debris appears repetitive and indistinct. The image also has a glossy sheen typical of AI-generated visuals.
Multiple AI detection tools used by AFP Fact Check corroborated this.
Hive Moderation suggested a 99 percent probability that the image is AI-generated.
ImageWhisperer also produced similar results.
AFP Fact Check has previously debunked other claims related to the Middle East war.
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