Tehran :US President Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social appearing to show Iran’s strategic Kharg Island being hit by massive explosions. Trump accompanied the post with the words, “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens”, without providing details or evidence that an attack had taken place.
Reuters confirmed that the dramatic footage was most likely synthetically generated using technology designed to detect AI-manipulated imagery. Several hours after Trump’s post, there was no independent evidence that Kharg Island had been attacked.
Iran calls Trump’s post ‘laughable’
Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, dismissed Trump’s claim, saying conditions on Kharg Island were calm and oil operations had not stopped.
Bovard described the US President’s posts as “laughable” and said workers were continuing repair and modernisation work on the island.
Kharg is one of Iran’s most important energy hubs. Before the current conflict, it handled about 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports, making any serious attack on its infrastructure potentially significant for the country’s economy and global energy markets.
US and Iran trade fresh strikes
Trump’s post came shortly after the United States carried out strikes against two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, near the Strait of Hormuz. Washington said the launchers were being prepared for operations involving sea mines in the strategic waterway.
Iran subsequently said it had retaliated against US bases in Jordan, while Iranian forces also claimed an attack on a US-linked facility in the United Arab Emirates. Jordan said its forces intercepted missiles entering its airspace, while the UAE denied Iran’s reported attack on Al Minhad Air Base.
The latest exchanges mark a fresh escalation in the US-Iran conflict, with growing concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz and possible consequences for global oil supplies.