Donald Trump Posts AI Image Claiming 159 Iranian Ships Are Sunken

President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated composite image on Truth Social showing “159 Iranian ships,” with the first image depicting vessels waving Iranian flags as “Obama/Biden” and the second showing those ships sunken on the ocean floor with the word “Trump” above.

The posts came as the administration awaited Iran’s response to a proposed peace plan, with The Hill saying the U.S. was awaiting “a response from Iranian officials over a proposed peace plan.”

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The Hill also tied the moment to a wider sequence of threats and counter-threats, noting that after the U.S. and Israel first struck Iran on Feb. 28, Trump warned the U.S. would “knock” Iran “a lot harder, and more violently” after U.S. forces intercepted an Iranian attack on three U.S. warships.

NPR’s account placed Trump’s online activity in a broader pattern, saying that on March 1, the day after U.S. forces bombed Iran, Trump posted 30 times on Truth Social, including a threat to retaliate if Iran retaliated (“THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT”).

The Hill reported that Trump paused “Project Freedom” after Iran was given a 14-point plan that would permanently cease hostilities and establish a framework for future talks on the nuclear aspect, and it said the memorandum would have Iran commit to a 10- to 20-year moratorium on nuclear enrichment in exchange for the U.S. lifting its sanctions and releasing billions of frozen Iranian funds.

In response to the reported terms, Fox News broadcaster Mark Levin said a deal would be “disastrous” for Iranians and for the Israeli government, adding that “Democrats, the media, and the isolationists will declare the operation a failure.”

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Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt wrote on social media, “I hope the terms of any deal would be significantly stricter: No enrichment, ever. HEU to us stat,” while The Hill described Iranian leaders as showing “little indication that they will fold.”

CNBC عربية said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected a response “within hours,” but it also quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying: "Every time a diplomatic solution is proposed, the United States chooses a reckless military adventure."

CNBC عربية described a “relative calm” around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, May 9, while the U.S. awaited Iran’s response, and it said Tehran had largely blocked passage of non-Iranian ships through the strait since the war began on February 28.

The same report said the UAE said its air defenses dealt with two ballistic missiles and three drones coming from Iran, noting that the attack left three people with moderate injuries, and it added that the UAE was subjected to a fresh attack on Friday.

CNBC عربية also said the United States said it bombed two ships linked to Tehran trying to enter an Iranian port, and that an American fighter jet hit the smokestacks of the two ships and forced them to retreat.

In parallel, Folha de S.Paulo reported that the Revolutionary Guards stated, according to state media, that any attack on Tehran’s oil tankers or commercial ships would trigger a 'strong offensive' against American military bases and ships deemed hostile in the Gulf region, while Washington continued to await Tehran’s response to a U.S. proposal that would formally end the war before negotiations begin on issues including the fate of the Iranian nuclear program.