Report confirms that visuals show Israel’s airstrike on the Terhan oil depot that occurred on March 7
Multiple pro-Iranian accounts were sharing a video since Tuesday on the social media platform X, claiming that it shows missile attacks in Iran without specifying who carried them out during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. However, the clip is old and shows Israel’s attack on Tehran’s oil depot on March 7.
Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials. Tehran responded by launching strikes on US bases and other facilities in seven Gulf states and Israel.
A US-Iran ceasefire was announced on April 7 by President Donald Trump to begin April 8, mediated by Pakistan following weeks of conflict. The initial two-week, conditional truce was extended indefinitely on April 21, to allow for ongoing peace negotiations
However, the failure of the talks led to the US military initiating a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on April 13. According to the US military, it will allow ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz if they are travelling between non-Iranian ports.
How it started
On Tuesday, a pro-Iranian account, based on its past posts, shared a video on X, allegedly showing an attack on Iran amid the ceasefire truce.
The caption of the post reads: “Urgent: According to reports, Iran has been subjected to a major missile strike. The conflict may reach a turning point tonight. Pray for Iran.”
The post gained 466,700 views.
Another pro-Iranian account shared the same clip with the following caption: “Breaking: Iran reportedly faced a major missile strike. The war could reach a turning point tonight. Pray for Iran.”
The post gained 202,300 views.
A social media user shared the same clip in a similar context with a similar caption, gaining 37,000 views.
Another account posted the same video with a similar caption, garnering 26,000 views.
Subsequently, other X users also shared the same video with similar claims, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Methodology
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the ceasefire between the US and Iran amid the ongoing tensions.
A keyword search was conducted to corroborate whether any such video was covered by any credible mainstream, international, or Iranian media outlets, but yielded no results featuring the same video.
A reverse image search conducted to trace the source yielded a YouTube video shared by Indian news outlet NDTV Profit on March 8.
The video was titled: “Watch: Israel Strikes On Tehran’s Oil Depot Sparks Massive Fire.”
The exact clip from the viral video is from 0:49 to 1:23-minute mark.
According to the description of the video, the Israel Defence Forces on March 7 confirmed that it bombed several Iranian fuel depots in Tehran. Several videos from the scene emerged at the time, showing fire and explosions from the Shahran oil depot.
A keyword search yielded a news report by Al Jazeera dated March 7, with the headline: “Huge fire rages at Tehran oil depot after Israeli attack.”
The news report featured the same clip from the viral video, but from a slightly different angle, showing the same building and tower.
A snapshot of the viral video was also featured in a news report by 9 News, an Australian news outlet, dated March 9, with the following headline: “‘Apocalyptic’: Stunning scenes as Iran’s capital pummeled by air strikes”.
The report confirmed that these visuals show Israel’s airstrike on the Terhan oil depot that occurred on March 7.
Fact-check: misleading
The claim that a viral video shows missile attacks on Iran amid the ceasefire with the US is misleading.
The video is old, from Israel’s missile attack on Tehran’s oil depot on March 7.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
