Trump Shares AI-Generated Video Claiming Kharg Island “Blown to Smithereens” as US-Iran Clashes Resume
US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on Sunday depicting massive explosions on Iran’s Kharg Island, claiming the critical oil hub had been “blown to smithereens,” hours after American and Iranian forces exchanged fire for the first time since late July. Hours later, no evidence had emerged that an actual strike had taken place.
The one-line post, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account, offered no further explanation of whether it represented a genuine threat, an exaggeration, or something else entirely.
Reuters verified using AI-detection software that the accompanying footage was most likely synthetically generated rather than real combat video.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon responded to requests for comment, and Iranian state media had not addressed the post as of Sunday night.
Kharg Island carries outsized strategic weight: before the war between Iran, Israel and the US erupted on February 28, the island handled roughly 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports. Any genuine strike there would deal a severe blow to Tehran’s already strained economy.
The post followed a fresh military flare-up after weeks of relative calm. US forces struck two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday — Washington’s first acknowledged military action against Iran since late July — after officials observed Iranian Revolutionary Guard units allegedly preparing sea-mine-armed rockets near the strait. Iranian media reported Tehran retaliated with strikes on two US bases in Jordan.
The exchange came even as Washington has increasingly leaned on economic rather than military pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Reuters that fresh secondary sanctions targeting banks tied to Iran would likely be rolled out weekly, describing the campaign in blunt terms as financial pressure meant to be felt.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking ahead of a visit to Kyrgyzstan, said Tehran was not seeking war but would respond decisively to any aggression, according to state media — though it remained unclear whether his remarks came before or after Trump’s post.
The renewed hostilities mark six months since the conflict began, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a central flashpoint for global energy markets.
