President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video clip that he said showed Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island being blown to smithereens, which an Iranian official dismissed as “laughable”, just hours after both nations resumed hostilities for the first time since July.
Several hours after the post, there was no evidence Kharg had been attacked.
The White House and the U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours.
“Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate,” said Hamid Bovard, chief executive of government-run National Iranian Oil Co.
Oil operations had not stopped and workers were busy repairing previous damage and modernising facilities, he added on the website of Nournews, a semi-official outlet close to Iran’s top security body.
“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” Trump had said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, with no further details.
Reuters confirmed that an accompanying video clip showing dramatic explosions was most likely synthetically-generated, using software that detects AI-manipulated imagery.
Kharg handled 90% of Iran’s oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, and attacking it would severely disrupt energy trade and put huge pressure on the economy.
Iran was not seeking war but would respond decisively to any aggression, President Masoud Pezeshkian said.
Discover more from Keeping Them Honest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.