Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, impacting oil and gas supplies around the world. Pressure on the United States to reopen the strait continues to mount. A video showing a destroyed US warship has been widely circulated on social media, with claims that it was destroyed in an Iranian attack. You can see the words “US Navy” written on it.
A user named Iranian Force claimed while sharing the post:#resting A large-scale attack was just reported. american navy. This video clearly shows that Iran’s missile power is increasing day by day. ”
Several other users have also shared the same video with similar claims. While sharing the video, a user named Kamesh Kumar wrote in the post: “Iran fired a missile at a U.S. Navy ship, causing a huge fire. America is now losing this war, and the country is facing humiliation solely because of Trump’s misguided policies.”(English translation)
Fact check:
During the investigation, the DFRAC team discovered that this viral video was not an original clip of a damaged US Navy warship, but rather an AI-generated video.
Our team searched Google using keywords related to U.S. warships damaged in Iranian attacks and found no such reports published by major media outlets.
Upon closer inspection of the video, unusual patterns were observed in the movement of the ship’s surface, flames, and smoke. The ship’s upper deck structure and equipment such as radar and antennas exhibited slight blurring and distortion, a common feature of AI-generated content.
Additionally, we analyzed the videos using AI detection tools such as: hive moderation and the University at Buffalo’s Deepfake Meter (AVSRDD2025). After investigation, we confirmed that this video was generated by AI.
Meanwhile, our team contacted AI expert Mayank Sharma to get more information about the video. After analyzing the video, Mayank said visual artifacts seen around fire, smoke, and ship structures are common to AI-generated content. Specifically, the texture of the smoke, uneven edges, and sudden changes in detail in some frames indicate that this footage was likely generated by an algorithm rather than recorded by a real camera.
Our team investigated the user Iranian Force who posted the video. Our investigation revealed that this user consistently shared false and misleading information on social media. The user identified himself as a member of the Iranian military and listed his location as the United States. However, according to information available on X (formerly Twitter), this account is being operated from Pakistan, which can be clearly seen in the graphics provided here.
Conclusion:
It is clear from fact checking DFRAC The video shared on social media is not of a U.S. warship damaged in the Iranian attack, officials said. This video is A.I.-generated. Therefore, the user’s claim is false.
