President Donald Trump caused confusion after posting two AI-generated videos depicting an apparent US attack on Iran's Kharg Island without identifying the footage as AI-generated. The posts appeared on Truth Social on Sunday night, with Trump captioning the first video, 'Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!' Trump then posted a second video shortly afterwards.
The timing added to the confusion because the US had launched strikes on Iran's Larak Island that same night, marking its first known military action against Iran since late July.
Iran subsequently retaliated with missile attacks targeting US military installations in Jordan. On Monday, a US official told Reuters that US forces had not targeted Kharg Island in the overnight strikes.
The episode prompted questions about what Trump intended the posts to communicate, with Vice President JD Vance later describing them as a message to Iran. The incident also highlighted the difficulty of distinguishing AI-generated imagery from footage of real military operations when synthetic material is not clearly identified.
Trump Posts AI Videos Without Clarification
Both videos depicted what appeared to be footage filmed from inside a helicopter, showing Kharg Island surrounded by explosions and flames. Trump did not identify the videos as AI-generated in the posts, but they did appear as though generated by AI.
The second video showed missiles striking a large coastal oil facility before explosions followed. It remains unclear who originally produced the videos or whether they were created by Trump's team.
The distinction mattered because Kharg Island is a strategically important part of Iran's oil-export infrastructure. The island handled a large majority of Iran's oil exports before the war, according to recent reporting. A US official later said that US forces had not targeted Kharg Island during the overnight strikes.
Vice President JD Vance was asked about the posts by reporters and indicated that Trump was not announcing a military operation.
'Well, you know, the president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit,' Vance said, adding that Trump was 'sending a message to the Iranians.'
Trump's posts came shortly after the US strikes on Larak Island. US Central Command said American forces had taken 'limited, precise' action against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps minelaying forces that it said posed an imminent threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran subsequently launched missile attacks targeting US military sites in Jordan, according to reports.
The following morning, Trump posted again, writing that Iran was a 'Failed Nation'.
'IT IS DEAD!' he wrote. 'They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency.'
Trump added, 'The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA.'
AI Imagery Becomes Part of Iran War Messaging
The Kharg Island videos have also drawn attention to Trump's use of AI-generated imagery on social media. There have been other instances in which Trump shared AI-generated images featuring political opponents or depicting himself in exaggerated scenarios.
The latest posts placed that style of social media messaging alongside a renewed exchange of military attacks between the US and Iran. The conflict has involved substantial casualties and disruption to energy markets and shipping, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a central point of dispute.
Iran has carried out missile and drone attacks against US forces and other targets in the region during the conflict. The Strait of Hormuz has also remained a major source of tension, with Washington and Tehran making competing claims about control of the strategic waterway.
The White House has repeatedly claimed that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz. In late-August, the White House said that US forces had cleared Iranian mines from international shipping lanes and that the United States controlled the waterway. Iran has disputed Washington's position.
Against that backdrop, the use of an AI-generated depiction of a strike on Kharg Island raised the possibility that viewers could mistake fictional footage for evidence of a real military operation.
Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the government-run National Iranian Oil Company, dismissed Trump's post as 'laughable' and said conditions on Kharg Island were 'calm and appropriate', according to reporting cited by The Independent. Bovard also said oil operations on the island had not stopped.
