US President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated video depicting explosions at Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export hub, hours after American forces carried out strikes on a different Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, the video shows large explosions around what appear to be oil storage facilities and a tanker, viewed from an aircraft. Trump accompanied the video with a claim that Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens”.
However, there was no evidence at the time that the United States had carried out an attack on Kharg Island. Reuters reported that several hours after Trump’s post, no strike on the island had been confirmed.
The AI-generated footage appeared shortly after actual US military action against Iran. US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first known American strikes on Iranian territory since late July. US Central Command said the operation targeted Iranian forces that posed an imminent threat in the strategic waterway.
Iran subsequently retaliated with missile attacks targeting US military facilities in Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles, while Iran also claimed to have targeted US personnel at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
The distinction between the real military action and the AI-generated footage is significant as synthetic media increasingly enters political and geopolitical communication. Trump's post did not clarify that the footage was artificial, while the video presented a realistic-looking depiction of an attack on strategically important energy infrastructure. Fact-checking organisations and news reports subsequently identified the footage as AI-generated.
Kharg Island plays a major role in Iran’s energy infrastructure. Before the current conflict, the island handled around 90% of the country’s oil exports and provided deep-water facilities capable of accommodating large tankers.
US Vice President JD Vance later said Trump was sending a message to Iran, while stressing that the president does not announce military operations through social media. A US official also confirmed that Kharg Island had not been attacked.
The episode comes as AI-generated imagery and video become increasingly realistic and accessible, raising fresh questions about how synthetic content can be interpreted when shared by political leaders during periods of active military conflict.
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