Does a video show an actual U.S. strike on the Iranian drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri or any Iranian aircraft carrier? No, that's not true: The clip is AI-generated and labeled "Made with AI." An AI detection tool also concluded that the video was "likely AI-generated." Additionally, visual and audio analysis revealed U.S. fighter jets on the flight deck and people speaking English with American accents.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Netanyahu_News account on X on May 28, 2026. It read:
BIG BREAKING 🚨
Attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri
According to the latest reports, the US carried out a deadly attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, killing over 100 Iranian soldiers.
This incident has caused a sensation across the world.
This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X.)
The post and video are embedded below:
BIG BREAKING 🚨
-- Israel Army (@Netanyahu_News) May 29, 2026
Attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri
According to the latest reports, the US carried out a deadly attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, killing over 100 Iranian soldiers.
This incident has caused a sensation across the world. pic.twitter.com/SJUNKgN3Xb
Start of the war with Iran
The United States attacked the IRIS Shahid Bagheri in the early days of the war with Iran that began on Feb. 28, 2026, but this fake social media video does not show that attack. In a March 4, 2026, article, the BBC reported (archived here) that the drone carrier was sunk. Canadian network CTV posted the video (archived here) from U.S. Central Command to YouTube on March 6, 2026:
Made with AI
The post on X by @Netanyahu_News is marked "Made with AI." In the screenshot below, it is circled in red near the bottom:
(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X. Red arrow and oval by Lead Stories.)
AI detection
The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool also concluded that the video overall was 56.9% "likely to be AI-generated":
(Image source: Hive Moderation.)
Additional AI indicators
The clip also contains indicators of AI generation. The planes seen on the flight deck look like American fighter jets, not Iranian planes or drones. The clearest example is an F/A-18 in the opening frame with the "star and bar" insignia circled in yellow below. The movements of the people on the flight deck appear inconsistent with usual naval operations:
(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X.)
The audio in the clip also indicates the video is not from an attack on an Iranian vessel. No one is speaking Farsi in the fake clip; everyone is speaking English.
