Disinformation in the Iran-Israel-US War: Major Cases and Patterns as of 6 March 2026

Turkey blocks 41 social media accounts over ‘disinformation’ on Iran war

Disinformation in the Iran-Israel-US War (2026): Major Cases and Patterns

Overview

Since the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, 2026, an unprecedented wave of disinformation has flooded social media platforms. Fact-checkers, media watchdogs, and verification teams at BBC Verify, AFP, Reuters, NewsGuard, and others have documented dozens of false or misleading claims gaining hundreds of millions of views within just days of the conflict’s eruption. The disinformation comes from multiple directions—pro-Iran accounts exaggerating Tehran’s military successes, pro-Israel accounts misrepresenting internal Iranian dissent, engagement farmers seeking profit, and state media on all sides blending fact with fabrication. AI-generated content has played a central and novel role, leading some researchers to call this “the first AI war”.[1][2][3][4][5]

Pro-Iran Disinformation

The USS Abraham Lincoln “Sinking”

One of the most prominent false narratives claimed that Iranian ballistic missiles had sunk or severely damaged the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. An X post stating “Iranian missiles have sunk USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier” gained 8 million views as of March 2. Multiple images showing a carrier engulfed in flames spread across X, Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram.[3][6][7]

US Central Command (CENTCOM) explicitly denied the claims, posting: “Iran’s IRGC claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE. The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close”. PolitiFact’s investigation found that one video featured ship details inconsistent with the real Abraham Lincoln, while another had been circulating online since at least 2021. A third was first posted during the June 2025 “12-Day War” between Iran and Israel. Closer inspection of several images revealed obvious AI-generation artifacts, including misplaced or absent defense features on the carrier.[7][3]

Exaggerated Damage to Israeli and US Targets

Pro-Iran social media accounts widely circulated claims that Iranian retaliatory strikes had “devastated Tel Aviv,” destroyed American aircraft carriers, and killed “hundreds of American personnel”. Iran’s state television projected a narrative of military triumph, claiming its fighter jets obliterated a US carrier and that missiles had leveled entire urban areas in Israel. In reality, while Iran did strike back on multiple fronts causing real casualties and damage, the actual consequences were significantly less severe than state media reported.[1]

A video claiming to show an Iranian missile strike on Dubai was debunked as footage from October 2024. Another widely shared clip alleging an attack on Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility was traced to a March 7 attack on Balak, Ukraine. An Instagram clip with over 180,000 views claiming a US airbase in Saudi Arabia was “burnt to ashes” actually showed the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on Hudaydah, Yemen, in July 2024.[2][8]

Iranian State Media Recycling Foreign Footage

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB TV1 aired dramatic missile footage on the first day of the conflict that was not from the current war. In a particularly brazen instance, the same channel used muted footage of an Israeli attack on Iran while narrating a story about Iran striking Israel with long-range missiles. PressTV, Iran’s English-language outlet, published a photo of a Pakistani drone falsely labeled as an “Israeli drone shot down near the Natanz nuclear site”. Ukrainian footage was also repurposed and labeled as images of Tel Aviv damage.[9]

During the earlier June 2025 phase of the conflict, the Fars News agency published a video compilation titled “Tel Aviv Before and After the War with Iran” in which nearly all footage was AI-generated. This pattern continued into 2026, with Iranian media outlets including the Tehran Times amplifying AI-generated and misleading content.[5][10]

Pro-Israel and Anti-Iran Disinformation

Recycled Protest Footage

Pro-Israeli accounts circulated outdated footage of protests and gatherings in Iran, misleadingly claiming these clips reflected growing opposition to the Iranian government and public support among Iranians for Israel’s military actions. This tactic was documented by BBC Verify during the June 2025 conflict phase and continued into 2026.[11]

The PRISONBREAK Campaign

Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab documented a coordinated Israeli-backed network called “PRISONBREAK” that leveraged dozens of social media accounts to push anti-government propaganda to Iranians. The campaign “routinely used” AI-generated imagery and video, mimicked real news outlets, and deployed deepfakes during periods of actual kinetic attacks. The goal was to stoke unrest and encourage the overthrow of the Iranian government.[4]

AI-Generated Khamenei Body Images

Following the February 28 strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, images purportedly showing his body buried under rubble spread widely on social media. AFP, Reuters, and multiple fact-checkers confirmed these were AI-generated. One image contained a visible “Meta AI” label, and Khamenei’s hands appeared deformed—a hallmark of synthetic content. Google’s SynthID tool assessed the image with “very high confidence” as having been produced by one of Google’s AI systems. No official photographs of Khamenei’s body were ever released by Iranian authorities.[12][13][14][15][16]

Fabricated Before/After Satellite Images

A viral post showed supposed “before and after” satellite images of the US Fifth Fleet Naval Base in Bahrain, claiming devastating damage from Iranian strikes. The “before” image was taken directly from Google Maps, while the “after” shot was an AI-manipulated version with digitally added destruction. Google’s SynthID confirmed the “after” image was generated using Google AI. The AI version even included building structures absent from the original satellite image.[17]

AI-Generated and Video Game Footage

Video Game Clips as War Footage

Multiple instances of video game footage—particularly from the military simulation game ARMA—were passed off as authentic combat footage. One viral post presented ARMA gameplay as depicting US-Israeli strikes on Iran, while another used the same game to portray explosions from missile and drone attacks on Iraqi cities. These clips circulated widely on TikTok, with some links leading to Russian influence operations according to the BBC.[18][2]

AI-Generated Conflict Videos

The three most popular false AI-generated videos identified by BBC Verify during the Iran-Israel conflict collectively garnered over 100 million views. Among the fabricated content were AI-generated images of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa on fire (marked with a SynthID watermark from Google AI) and entirely fabricated videos simulating nighttime missile strikes, which are particularly difficult to debunk using standard visual investigation techniques.[19][8][11]

Google’s Veo 3 AI video generation model was specifically implicated by GetReal Security, whose chief investigative officer stated: “This may be the first instance where generative AI is extensively utilized during a conflict”. Other AI-generated content included fake videos purporting to show Israelis protesting for peace (with gibberish signs made to resemble Hebrew) and a matching video showing Iranians cheering “We Love Israel”—both entirely fabricated.[19][5]

AI Platforms Amplifying Misinformation

Google AI Overviews Repeating False Claims

A NewsGuard report found that Google’s AI-powered search summaries actively repeated misleading claims about the conflict. When users performed reverse image searches on viral footage, Google’s AI summary incorrectly validated false stories. In one example, a frame from a video supposedly showing the destruction of a “CIA outpost in Dubai” triggered an AI summary stating the image depicted a “fire at high-rise building in UAE, occurring on March 1, 2026, amid regional tensions.” The footage actually showed a residential fire from 2015 in Sharjah.[20][2]

Grok’s Contradictory Fact-Checking

Users frequently tagged X’s integrated AI bot Grok to verify suspicious videos. Researchers at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab tabulated more than 300 responses by Grok to a single fake AI-generated video of a bombed airport. The bot’s responses contradicted each other, sometimes minute to minute—one stating “the video likely shows real damage” and another saying it was “likely not authentic”. DFRLab director Emerson Brooking noted: “What we’re seeing is AI mediating the experience of warfare”.[21]

Engagement Farming and Super-Spreader Accounts

The financial incentives of social media have created a parallel disinformation engine. NewsGuard identified a network of anonymous accounts propagating false claims about military strikes, “predominantly using repurposed video footage and out-of-context or entirely recontextualized images of devastation”. Most viral misinformation was shared by premium “blue checkmark” subscriber accounts on X, including state-funded Iranian media.[2]

One pro-Iranian account, “Daily Iran Military”—which lacks clear connections to Tehran’s authorities—saw its followers on X surge from 700,000 to 1.4 million in under a week (an 85% increase), demonstrating how conflict-related engagement farming drives explosive account growth. Kenyan parliamentary member Peter Salasya shared the fake USS Abraham Lincoln sinking image to over 6 million views, illustrating how misinformation crosses geographic and political boundaries.[11][2]

Other Viral False Narratives

F-15E Strike Eagle Shot Down Over Iran

Claims circulated that a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle had been shot down during a strike mission over southwestern Iran. Several media outlets carried the story, but CENTCOM responded on X: “Rumors circulating on social media of a U.S. F-15E crash in Iran early Wednesday are baseless and NOT TRUE”.[3]

Apocalyptic Military Briefings

A viral Substack report alleged that up to 200 US troops across 50 military installations were told the Iran war was intended to fulfill Biblical prophecy and hasten “the return of Christ.” An investigation by The Debrief found the claim relied primarily on a single email and lacked independent corroboration. The Freedom From Religion Foundation said it had received no similar complaints.[3]

Fabricated Target Lists

Online posts instilling fear of domestic retaliatory attacks circulated, including an unverified list of US cities purportedly targeted by Iranian sleeper cells, which appeared to have been created in Apple’s Notes app.[2]

Iran’s Internet Blackout and Information Vacuum

Iran’s internet blackout, which began during protests in January 2026, created a fertile environment for disinformation on all sides. With credible on-the-ground information severely restricted, fake accounts proliferated misleading and contradictory narratives across X and Instagram. Material circulated by inauthentic accounts included promotion of Reza Pahlavi (son of the former Shah) by pro-opposition bots, while other narratives echoed Iranian government claims that unrest was instigated by the US and Israel—a perspective amplified by Russian state media. The blackout effectively turned the information environment into “a fog of war” that served the interests of multiple competing actors.[22][4]

Platform and Institutional Responses

X’s New Monetization Rules

In response to the deluge of AI-generated war content, X announced on March 3 that it would suspend creators from its Creator Revenue Sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated videos of armed conflicts without disclosure. Head of product Nikita Bier stated: “During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people”. Repeat offenders face permanent suspension from the program. However, the policy targets only AI-generated content, not misinformation more broadly.[23][10][24]

Fact-Checking Organizations

AFP, Reuters, BBC Verify, NewsGuard, PolitiFact, Euroverify, the Australian AAP, India’s PTI Fact Check, and others deployed teams specifically to debunk conflict-related misinformation. Detection tools including Google’s SynthID, Vera.ai, and Hive Moderation’s AI detector were used to flag synthetic content. Yet researchers warned that AI detection tools are struggling to keep pace with rapidly improving generative AI.[25][13][14][16][4][7][20][17]

Patterns and Analysis

The disinformation landscape of the 2026 Iran war reveals several consistent patterns:

• Information vacuums drive disinformation: The brief gap between breaking news and verified footage creates fertile ground for fabrication. As NewsGuard’s Sofia Rubinson explained: “People now have less patience between an event occurring and authentic visuals emerging in the media”.[2]
• Multi-directional manipulation: Disinformation is not limited to one side. Pro-Iran accounts exaggerate Tehran’s military prowess, pro-Israel networks stoke regime change narratives, engagement farmers pursue profit, and state-aligned Russian media amplify anti-Western narratives.[22][4][11]
• AI as force multiplier: Generative AI tools—including Google’s Veo 3 and Meta AI—have made it “trivial to create content that can mislead people,” in X’s own words. AI-generated content is increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic footage, especially depicting nighttime strikes.[24][19]
• Platform incentives worsen the problem: X’s Creator Revenue Sharing program directly incentivizes sensational content, driving creators to share incendiary and misleading posts for financial gain.[26][23]
• Cross-platform amplification: False content originates on one platform and quickly spreads to others. A single fake image can traverse X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Telegram within hours, accumulating tens of millions of views before fact-checkers can respond.[3][2]

Brandon Amacher of the Emerging Tech Policy Lab summarized the current environment: “We are now currently in an era where you cannot trust information by default on open social media platforms anymore”.[3]

References

1. Iranian TV and Social Media Project Defiant and Distorted View of … – The United States and Israel have also tried to shape coverage of the conflict … covers misinforma…
2. As the U.S. wages war with Iran, social media users face worsening disinformation – Bots, misleading images, AI-generated video, and even Google searches complicate reporting out of Ir…
3. Disinformation Floods Social Media as Iran Conflict Sparks Viral … – The Iran conflict has triggered a surge in online disinformation, including AI-generated imagery and…
4. Digital Deception: AI Fakes and Old Videos Obscure Reality of … – A pervasive wave of digital deception is profoundly distorting the public’s understanding of the ong…
5. The First AI War: How the Iran-Israel Conflict Became a … – EDMO
6. FACT FOCUS: Misrepresented images spread after US and Israel strike Iran – As the U.S. and Israel continued to strike Iran on Monday following a major attack over the weekend …
7. Videos do not show missile strike on USS Abraham Lincoln – PolitiFact – Social media users claimed Iran struck and damaged the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. But the…
8. Fact check: AI-generated and miscaptioned Middle East war imagery – A large number of AI-generated and miscaptioned video clips and images have been shared across socia…
9. RFE/RL Fact Check: Recycled Videos And Photos Fuel Iran’s … – Iranian state media has reused old videos and images — from Russian missile launches to Pakistani dr…
10. X Will Penalize Creators Who Share AI-Generated War Videos … – The policy update comes two days after a Wired investigation found X drowning in misinformation abou…
11. Israel-Iran conflict unleashes wave of AI disinformation – BBC – Fake AI videos relating to the conflict have gained over 100 million views online, BBC Verify finds.
12. Images of Iran’s supreme leader buried by rubble are AI-generated – The images, part of a surge of misinformation online that followed the death of the Islamic republic…
13. Images of Iran’s supreme leader buried by rubble are AI-generated
14. Fact Check: Image of Khamenei’s body trapped beneath rubble is made with AI – An image depicting emergency workers discovering the body of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kh…
15. Images of Iran’s supreme leader buried by rubble are AI … – Iran’s supreme leader was killed by joint US-Israel strikes that began on February 28, 2026, but ima…
16. FACT FOCUS: Misrepresented images spread after US and Israel strike Iran – As the U.S. and Israel continued to strike Iran on Monday following a major attack over the weekend …
17. Fake footage of US-Iran war floods social media – AAP – Social media users are using old and AI-generated images to make false claims about military strikes…
18. Real attack or video game? Misinformation and war in the AI age – Is it real or is it AI? Misinformation seen by millions is spreading online in the wake of the war i…
19. The Wiretap: Google AI Is At The Center Of An Iran-Israel Disinformation War – Google’s Veo 3 video and photo AI generation tool is being used in information warfare in the Iran-I…
20. AI fakes, recycled clips flood Israel-US-Iran conflict narrative; 14 social media posts debunked – Misinformation is spreading rapidly online amid West Asia tensions. Press Trust of India’s Fact Chec…
21. < As Iran and Israel fought, people turned to AI for facts. They didn’t find many – AI-generated videos of fighting between Iran and Israel went viral, and people asked chatbots if the…
22. Battles Over Truth Rage Online Amid Iran’s Internet Blackout – The shutdown of online discourse within Iran has allowed both the government and its critics to floo…
23. X to take action against AI deepfakes of the Iran conflict – Nikita Bier, the platform’s head of product, said users who don’t add AI disclosures will be suspend…
24. X suspends revenue sharing for undisclosed AI war videos – Social media platform X announced Tuesday it would suspend creators from its revenue sharing program…
25. Old videos from Iran’s attack on Israel falsely linked to 2026 Mideast … – Iran launched missiles on Israel in retaliation for a joint US-Israeli operation that killed its sup…
26. X says it will suspend creators from revenue-sharing … – TechCrunch – Outside of war, AI media is often used to create political misinformation or push deceptive products…