Iran

Does a compilation video posted on Facebook show only war footage from the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: Although at least one of the clips in the video shows footage of the conflict, many are unrelated to the war in Ukraine. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on March 9, 2022. It included the…

Did Nathaniel Rothschild write a letter to members of the British government calling Russian President Vladimir Putin "the most dangerous man since the defeat of Hitler"? No, that's not true: "This is utterly untrue and completely fabricated," a spokesperson from Rothschild's investment company told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 4, 2022. It…

Did a snub by a haughty Harvard University president of a poorly dressed couple spur that couple to found Stanford University as a memorial to their dead son? No, that's not true: It's an allegorical tale that has circulated since at least 1998. A spokesman for Stanford University tells Lead Stories the tale "is false." The claim, made in a…

Is the ESPN tweet about "a noose found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega Superspeedway" correct? Yes, but it is missing context that makes it clear the noose's message was not likely intended for Wallace. The tweet is a 2:54 video trailer for an ESPN TV special documentary titled, "E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace," that includes…

Is this the video of the helicopter crash that killed former Gen. Bipin Rawat of the Indian Armed Forces on December 8, 2021? No, that's not true: This footage documented a helicopter crash in Syria almost two years earlier, in February 2020. The claim appeared in the title of a YouTube video (archived here) posted on December 8, 2021. The…

Do new restrictions for the unvaccinated in Germany ban people with disabilities from society? No, that's not true: German public health authorities advise that there are only few medical reasons not to get one of the COVID vaccines currently approved in the European Union but if, in an individual consultation with their doctor, patients find that they should not get…

Is Bill Gates charged with murder in India's High Court for an alleged COVID-19-vaccine-caused death? No, that's not true: A $134 million lawsuit has been filed against Gates and others in India but it was done so by a private citizen who claims her son died after adverse effects from a COVID-19 vaccine. This is not a case filed by…

Does this video show the Iranian military firing at a UFO? No, that's not true: This video footage came from a night time machine gun shoot at the Big Sandy Range in Arizona. The glowing flying object is not from outer space but a remote control target drone. This video does not show a military defense or training, but an…

Does the mismatch between lunar boot prints and the smooth sole of Neil Armstrong's "space boot" confirm that U.S. astronauts never walked on the moon? No, that's not true: This recirculated hoax is missing context, as Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew wore inner pressure space boots with a smooth tread inside "overshoes" that left the rough textured boot…

Is it true the Taliban are now in possession of more Black Hawk helicopters than 166 other nations around the globe? Yes, but context partially changes the meaning of that. For instance, images of Taliban insurgents standing near Black Hawk helicopters in Afghanistan after taking control of the country do not show a chopper ready for combat, an aerospace expert…