No evidence Zimbabwe minister sent missive to the United States with a warning to refrain from targeting Iran

This article is more than one year old.
Published on January 16, 2020 at 13:27
2 min read
By AFP South Africa, Tendai DUBE

Multiple posts on social media claim that one of Zimbabwe's defence ministers issued a warning to the United States to step back from its feud with Iran or face action. The claims are false and were tweeted by a fake Twitter account posing as the national broadcaster ZBC Online.

The tweet, which we’ve archived here, has been retweeted more than 1,300 times and received more than 2,600 likes. It reads: “Breaking News. Deputy Minister of Defence Cde Victor Matemadanda has warned the US that if they do not retreat from Iran, Zimbabwe may be forced to intervene.”

A screenshot taken on January 15, 2020 of the misleading tweet

The tweet was published by a Twitter account purporting to be Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, ZBC News Online. The account was created in December 2019.

By contrast, the broadcaster’s official account, which appears on its website, was created in July 2012 and has over 270,000 followers.

Other clues that distinguish the two accounts? The copycat account has an underscore character at the end of its name, while the real ZBC Twitter account includes a photograph of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe in its header.

Screenshots taken on January 15, 2020 of both the fake and real ZBC Online Twitter accounts

The false tweet has also been posted on Facebook here and here with similar claims.

Asked by AFP to verify the claims made in his name, Matemadanda denied issuing any statement warning the US to refrain from conflict with Iran: “I did not say what was attributed to me and never had an interview to that regard,' he said via WhatsApp.

Searches on government websites and social media accounts also found no official statement regarding Zimbabwe’s position on current US-Iran relations.

As reported by AFP, Iran announced on January 14, 2020, its first arrests over the accidental downing by missile of a Ukrainian passenger jet, as protesters vented their anger over the catastrophic blunder for a fourth consecutive day.

It came after top Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani, was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq on January 3, 2020, as reported by AFP here.

Iran retaliated by firing missiles on Iraqi military bases housing US troops, as reported by AFP here.

The tit-for-tat spat has led to a flurry of false social media posts.

AFP Fact Check previously debunked misleading claims that US President Donald Trump had secured commitments of troop support from Botswana and South Africa.

Another AFP debunked claim said Trump had warned of an attack on Nigeria for backing Iran.

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