Trump Shares AI Video, Appearing to Falsely Claim US Bombed Iran’s Kharg Island

Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation . On Monday, the Department of Defense was forced to correct a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump, which wrongly asserted, through the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video, that U.S. military forces had conducted a large-scale attack on Iran’s Kharg Island. The U.S. and Iran launched attacks against each other on Sunday evening. But according to a U.S. official, no such attack occurred on Kharg Island , despite Trump’s post suggesting otherwise. Instead, the U.S. military conducted attacks on Larak Island , which is close to the Iranian coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM claimed that the attack was necessary because Iran was supposedly placing “minelaying forces” in the area. In response, Iranian media reported that the country launched counterattacks against U.S. bases in Jordan . The actions between the two countries are believed to be the first known attacks to have occurred since July. They also come as the war in Iran, started and continued by the Trump administration with no authorization from Congress, completed its sixth month of hostilities , despite the president promising at its start that it would take no more than a few weeks to complete. In his Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump shared an AI video of bombings and said it depicted what was happening at Kharg Island, where, prior to the war, 90 percent of Iranian oil exports were handled . Related Story News | Politics & Elections Trump Posts Racist AI-Generated Video Ahead of Looming Government Shutdown “Republicans are still refusing to come to the table” regarding Democrats’ demands, said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. By Julia Conley , C ommon D reams September 30, 2025 Truthout “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!” Trump wrote . Trump posts AI slop with the caption, “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!” — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-08-31T02:23:48.177Z It’s unclear whether Trump believed the video to be real before he shared it, or whether he believed an actual attack on the island had occurred. Later on Monday, Vice President JD Vance tried to explain Trump’s post by saying that the president wasn’t commenting on what he thought was currently happening, but on what could happen in the future. “The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He ⁠would be the first to say he doesn’t make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he’s sending a message to the Iranians,” Vance said . Early in the war, Trump had ordered limited attacks on Kharg Island, but large-scale attacks like those depicted in the video he shared never materialized. An attack on Kharg Island could constitute a war crime . The oil refineries and other infrastructure on the island are civilian-based, not military targets. Additionally, the island is home to 8,000 permanent residents, meaning any large attack there would likely result in the loss of noncombatant innocent lives, in violation of international law. Press freedom is under attack As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary. Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more. Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today. 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Prohibited: You cannot use this work for commercial purposes. Article HTML Republish HTML code for copying <h1>Trump Shares AI Video, Appearing to Falsely Claim US Bombed Iran’s Kharg Island</h1> By Chris Walker This article was originally published by <a href src="https://truthout.org/articles/trump-shares-ai-video-appearing-to-falsely-claim-us-bombed-irans-kharg-island/">Truthout</a> It wasn't immediately clear whether Trump believed that the video was real. On Monday, the Department of Defense was forced to correct a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump, which wrongly asserted, through the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video, that U.S. military forces had conducted a large-scale attack on Iran’s Kharg Island. The U.S. and Iran launched attacks against each other on Sunday evening. But according to a U.S. official, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-war-kharg-island-attack-ai-video-b3042131.html">no such attack occurred on Kharg Island</a>, despite Trump’s post suggesting otherwise. Instead, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-war-live-us-iran-resume-attacks-trump-says-kharg-island-is-being-blown-2026-08-31/">the U.S. military conducted attacks on Larak Island</a>, which is close to the Iranian coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/us-strikes-iranian-rocket-launchers-201854299.html">CENTCOM claimed that the attack was necessary</a> because Iran was supposedly placing “minelaying forces” in the area. In response, Iranian media reported that the country <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-war-live-us-iran-resume-attacks-trump-says-kharg-island-is-being-blown-2026-08-31/">launched counterattacks against U.S. bases in Jordan</a>. The actions between the two countries are believed to be the first known attacks to have occurred since July. They also come as the war in Iran, started and continued by the Trump administration with no authorization from Congress, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/28/friday-marks-six-months-since-trump-launched-war-iran-now-he-stuck/">completed its sixth month of hostilities</a>, despite the president promising at its start that it would take no more than a few weeks to complete. In his Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump shared an AI video of bombings and said it depicted what was happening at Kharg Island, where, prior to the war, <a href="https://boereport.com/2026/08/31/a-look-at-irans-kharg-island-and-energy-sector-2/">90 percent of Iranian oil exports were handled</a>. “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!!” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117187722429803464">Trump wrote</a>. It’s unclear whether Trump believed the video to be real before he shared it, or whether he believed an actual attack on the island had occurred. Later on Monday, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/31/us-iran-israel-hormuz-oil-donald-trump-larak-kharg-island-uae-jordan-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6a959dd88f089f2cda79acdf#block-6a959dd88f089f2cda79acdf">Vice President JD Vance tried to explain Trump’s post</a> by saying that the president wasn’t commenting on what he thought was currently happening, but on what could happen in the future. “The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He ⁠would be the first to say he doesn’t make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he’s sending a message to the Iranians,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/31/us-iran-israel-hormuz-oil-donald-trump-larak-kharg-island-uae-jordan-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6a959dd88f089f2cda79acdf#block-6a959dd88f089f2cda79acdf">Vance said</a>. Early in the war, Trump had ordered limited attacks on Kharg Island, but large-scale attacks like those depicted in the video he shared never materialized. An attack on Kharg Island <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/we-will-be-taking-kharg-island-trump-threatens-invasion-of-iran/">could constitute a war crime</a>. The oil refineries and other infrastructure on the island are civilian-based, not military targets. Additionally, the island is home to 8,000 permanent residents, meaning any large attack there would likely result in the loss of noncombatant innocent lives, in violation of international law. <hr> This <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/trump-shares-ai-video-appearing-to-falsely-claim-us-bombed-irans-kharg-island/">article</a> was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org">Truthout</a> and is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a>. Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our <a href="https://truthout.org/republishing-policy">republishing guidelines</a>. Copy this HTML code to republish the article on your website Close Copy HTML This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) , and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. Chris Walker Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout , based in Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on people. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker . Truthout

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