Iran

Does a TV interview with international affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow prove that a Russian hypersonic missile "killed 200 NATO generals, including at least 20 or 30 high-ranking American officers"? No, that's not true: Doctorow doesn't offer any evidence to support his assertion other than an indefinite reference to "The Russians." The U.S. Department of Defense responded to this with: "This…

Did sanctioned Russian banks regain their access to the international system of cross-border money transfers in April 2023? No, that's not true: No such decision was made by the European Union or the United States, as of this writing. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) published on April 22, 2023. It opened: NEWS | Russia has been reconnected…

Does this video show the military enforcement of a no-fly zone over Antarctica? No, that's not true: This video shows a demonstration of the U.S. military intervening when a plane violates presidential airspace. Filmed by the "Today" show in 2017, it shows the United States -- not Antarctica. While there are practical caveats to consider when flying to Antarctica's frigid…

Do bras made of unnatural fibers or those that contain underwire cause breast cancer? No, that's not true: Experts agree that there is no substantive or reliable scientific evidence that wearing underwire bras or those made of unnatural fibers is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The claim originated in a 1-hour video shared to YouTube on October…

Was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the first time 100,000 troops had invaded another country since World War II? No, that's not true: There are many examples of military forces totaling more than 100,000 invading other countries since the end of the Second World War in 1945. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted…

Does a background screening document prove that Hunter Biden paid his father, President Joe Biden, nearly $50,000 per month in rent to live in his father's Delaware home? No, that's not true: The amount listed on the form as "Monthly Rent" -- $49,910 -- matches what the younger Biden paid in quarterly rent for an office space in Washington, D.C.,…

Did the government of Iran "abolish" its morality police in response to country-wide protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini during detention by the morality police for wearing a loose headscarf in September 2022? No, that's not true: Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri made a comment in early December that led to many news organizations using the…

Did WikiLeaks in December of 2022 release Apollo 11 "moon landing cut scenes filmed in Nevada desert," proving that the moon landing never happened and was instead staged for filming right here on Earth? No, that's not true: The video in this post splices together a scene from a 1977 fictional movie, which was not even filmed in Nevada, and…

Has Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian activist Angelina Jolie passed away as of December 7, 2022? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations have reported her death as of December 7, 2022, and TIME magazine published on December 7, 2022, a recent video interview she conducted. The claim appeared on the website mz24news.com on December 6, 2022. The headline read:…

Did actor Morgan Freeman announce after performing at the 2022 World Cup that he has converted to Islam? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Freeman ever publicly confirmed that he converted to Islam. The claim appeared in a Facebook post published on November 23, 2022. The post's caption read: Morgan freeman converted to islamThe famouse hollywood actor#MorganFreeman…