Old explosion video falsely linked to Israeli strikes on Iran

"BREAKING: ANOTHER EXPLOSION AT AN OIL REFINERY IN IRAN," says a June 13, 2025 post sharing the visual on X.
Image
Screenshot from X taken June 13, 2025
The post comes from Sulaiman Ahmed, a self-described journalist who has repeatedly shared disinformation about the Middle East and the war between Israel and Hamas.
Similar posts spread across platforms and in other languages, including Spanish and Persian.
The image circulated after the Israeli military hit a range of Iranian nuclear sites, in an of Israel's war with the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Oil prices soared in the aftermath of the airstrikes. But analysts told AFP price gains were capped in part by news that there has been no immediate reduction to crude production or supplies, as the strikes appeared to have avoided Iranian oil facilities.
Reverse image searches surfaced the photo in Iranian news reports detailing a November 4, 2020 incident at a petrochemical plant in Ilam, Iran (archived here and here). Rokna News Agency posted the photo to Telegram, saying it showed a "massive explosion" at the plant (archived here).
Further reports said the plume of smoke was in fact due to a fire in a waste pond that was quickly extinguished with no casualties (archived here, here and here).
AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Middle East, here.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

AFP

43 minutes ago

• AFP

AI-generated video falsely shared as aftermath of Iran's attack on Israel

"This footage is not recorded in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, or Syria, but in Tel Aviv, Israel, showing the destruction of some buildings in the city after an Iranian hypersonic missile attack," says the Indonesian-language caption of a video on X on June 15, 2025. Arabic-language text in the video's top-right corner reads, "Tel Aviv". The 16-second video shows toppled buildings and damaged structures. Image Screenshot of false post captured on June 19, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The longtime foes have continued to trade deadly fire in their most intense confrontation in history, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East (archived link). Iran's health ministry said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded, while Israel's prime minister's office said at least 24 people have been killed and 592 others injured. The same video and claim have circulated on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. It has also been shared in other languages including Thai, English, Bengali, Arabic and Spanish. However, a reverse image search of the keyframes revealed the video was made using Google's AI tools. Image Screenshot from Google Images, with the AI label highlighted by AFP Another search found the clip was posted in an Instagram post on May 28, days before Iran's attack on Israel, alongside hashtags such as #southlebanon (archived link). The account has shared other AI-generated videos, and its profile reads "AI resistance". Image Screenshot of the 3amelyon's Instagram account, taken on June 20, 2025 AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Israel-Iran conflict here.

France 24

2 hours ago

• France 24

Samaranch Senior -- controversial diplomat who saved the Olympics

Samaranch Senior -- whose son of the same name finished runner-up to Coventry in the IOC presidential election in March -- did, like Coventry, serve in a controversial regime prior to being elected in 1980. While Coventry has been sports and arts minister in a Zimbabwean government whose election in 2023 was declared unfair and undemocratic by international observers, Samaranch served at a high level in the fascist Spanish regime of General Francisco Franco. His IOC presidency, which ran from 1980-2001, will for some be forever overshadowed by the 'votes for favours' scandal surrounding the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. However, to other more measured voices he is the saviour of the Games who transformed it from a movement at risk of extinction into a vibrant and financially healthy behemoth. "His legacy is that we have an Olympic Games to talk about," former IOC marketing executive Terrence Burns told AFP. "He saved it from financial and political ruin." Samaranch Senior's earlier career exercised many people when he was IOC chief. After Franco's death and the restoration of the monarchy, Samaranch Senior went on to be ambassador to the Soviet Union. "I recognised that my political career in Spain was over," said Samaranch Senior, who always insisted he was not a fascist. It was in Moscow at the 1980 Games, overshadowed by a boycott because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, that he was elected president of the IOC. The IOC members' faith in him was more than repaid. "Within the IOC I think the Samaranch legacy is fully understood: that he saved the Olympic Movement," former IOC marketing chief Michael Payne told AFP. His success was developing "the business model", which included a TV strategy and "the creation of the TOP programme, the most successful (sports) marketing programme ever," he added. Payne worked closely with him and said he was a different personality to his son in that he was "more a listener" than Samaranch Junior, who is a "great communicator." "He was very introverted, a great listener, didn't do a lot of talking, and a great strategic thinker," said Payne. "But because he wasn't at the forefront, communicating and explaining, he was often misunderstood. "He only learned English as his third or fourth language when he was 60." 'I cannot regret' Payne said Samaranch's leadership shone through during the Salt Lake City scandal. Six members were to be expelled and Samaranch also oversaw a series of reforms to prevent a repeat of the situation. "He was calm under unbelievable pressure and stress," said the 66-year-old Irishman. "Honestly, you went to the office every day and you didn't know if the organisation would survive... And that was for three months. "It was brutal. And yet, Samaranch Senior displayed absolute calm, focus." Nevertheless Samaranch, in a rare moment of letting the mask slip, revealed the effect of what Payne described as "personal attacks". "Retiring myself after the Barcelona Games (in 1992), I could have been a hero, no?" he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. "I cannot regret. I have to write my history again." Payne said despite his diplomatic background Samaranch could play hardball. One incident occurred when Greece refused to allow the Olympic torch to be lit ahead of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, as they objected to the commercialisation of the event. "Samaranch sent one of his relatives to Olympia to privately film the lighting of the flame, put it in a miner's lamp, and brought it back to Lausanne," said Payne. "Then Samaranch called the Greeks and said, 'just for you to understand, I now have the Olympic flame on my desk. "'Either you will agree to let the Americans come and properly light it or there will never be another torch lighting in Olympia. Because it will be lit at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.' "So he wasn't shy of being very tough." © 2025 AFP

Euronews

3 hours ago

• Euronews

Israel, Iran trade fresh strikes as conflict enters ninth day

The conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its ninth consecutive day, with reports of strikes emerging from both countries overnight. It comes after a meeting between European foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva on Friday yielded no concrete results, with Araghchi ruling out further talks on Iran's nuclear programme until a ceasefire is agreed. Aragchi arrived in Istanbul early on Saturday for a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), according to media reports. Meanwhile, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that another commander from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had been killed overnight. Euronews brings you rolling coverage and updates throughout the day.