Iran slams Trump after POTUS shared  AI ‘explosion’ video claiming Kharg Island was blown to ‘smithereens’

Donald Trump shared a video claiming Iran’s Kharg Island had been 'blown to smithereens', only for the US Defense Department to say American forces had not struck the country’s main oil export hub.

The footage, which Trump posted on Truth Social, has triggered a fresh dispute with Tehran as fighting between the US and Iran intensifies across the Middle East.

Iranian officials have pushed back on the president’s claim, while the US says its latest strikes targeted positions belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Larak Island instead.

The Independent reported that Hamid Bovard, chief executive of Iran’s government-run National Iranian Oil Co, rejected the suggestion that Kharg Island’s oil operations had been disrupted.

Bovard said: "Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate."

Iran is once again being bombed by US forces. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Did the US strike Iran’s Kharg Island?

According to a US Defense Department official, American strikes did not hit Kharg Island, which is Iran’s primary oil export hub.

Instead, the official said the attacks were directed exclusively at IRGC positions on Larak Island.

The distinction is significant because Kharg is central to Iran’s oil exports, while the latest US operation was described as being aimed at military positions elsewhere.

Trump’s post nevertheless showed what he presented as footage of Kharg Island being destroyed.

The dispute comes after the US launched its first strikes against Iran since late July, adding another major escalation to an already tense confrontation.

Trump posted AI generated images of US troops destroying Kharg Island (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

How has Iran responded to US strikes?

Iran responded by targeting US military facilities in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The IRGC said it fired ballistic missiles at the King Hussein and Al-Azraq airbases in Jordan. It also said dozens of attack drones were launched toward Al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE.

Iran claimed the facilities were being used to support the US operation against Iranian territory.

The latest exchanges have increased concerns about the conflict spreading beyond Iran and the US, with military sites in neighboring countries now forming part of the confrontation.

Despite the renewed attacks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran remains interested in finding a negotiated way out of the conflict.

That leaves the situation caught between military escalation and attempts to pursue diplomacy, while both sides continue to dispute what targets have actually been hit.

The US have also slapped down Iran's claims that a supertanker was hit by two mines in the Straight of Hormuz this week.

A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported earlier that a supertanker caught fire and came to a complete ‌halt after striking ​two ‌naval mines ⁠in the shipping route.

UNILAD has contacted the White House for comment.