U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites gives rise to wave of misrepresented content
AI-generated content also used to depict strikes in Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States military struck nuclear sites inside Iran overnight into June 22, joining Israel’s attacks on the country, which began on June 13.
Trump said warplanes targeted the nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, in a bid to disable the Islamic Republic’s nuclear enrichment capability.
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in an address to the nation.
The president said Iran now needed to “make peace,” warning that “future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier”.
“This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left,” the president said.
In the aftermath of the strikes, videos and images emerged on social media purporting to show the strikes on the nuclear sites and U.S. military aircraft taking part in the mission.
Video said to show an explosion at Fordo is from Syria
On Sunday, video emerged on a YouTube account (archived here) purporting to show a blast at the Fordo nuclear facility during the U.S. strikes.
Another version of the video (archived here) was shared on a YouTube account, which described the video as “Breaking News | US Attack on Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility”.
Since Israel commenced its coordinated strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, speculation has mounted regarding the Islamic Republic's underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, located 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the Iranian city of Qom.
As reported by Eurovision News Spotlight earlier this week, the depth at which the facility sits has raised speculation that Israel did not have the military arsenal at its disposal to disable activities at the site, despite claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the country is capable of hitting all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including Fordo.
Despite Netanyahu's claims, the Fordo facility was widely considered to be out of reach of all but American-made “bunker-buster” bombs.
Analysis of the video using Google reverse image searches revealed an earlier version of the alleged Fordo video in a news report dated December 16, 2024, which said the video showed Israeli strikes near the Syrian port city of Tartous, indicating that the video predates the U.S. strikes in Iran, and is not related to the U.S. offensive.
More “Fordo” footage misrepresented
On Sunday, an X by name Boi Agent One account shared a dramatic video (archived here) purporting to show “Fordow nuclear facility moments after US bunker buster strikes”.
Eurovision News Spotlight had previously examined this footage, having found that it showed the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Shahran Oil Depot in Tehran earlier in June.
The footage, allegedly showing Fordo following the attacks, contains two pylons that can be geolocated to the Shahran Oil Depot using Google Earth, confirming it was not filmed at Fordo following the strikes by U.S. forces.
Video game footage used to illustrate B-2 bombers
On Saturday, the same X account shared video (archived here) purporting to show a U.S. B-2 bomber landing on an aircraft carrier. Along with the video, the account said, “B-2 stealth bombers now airborne to Guam, tracked west over Pacific with refueling tankers.”
The video is computer game footage and has been used by several YouTube accounts (see here, here, and here) to illustrate B-2 activities and gameplay over the past 12 months.
AI-generated footage of strikes on nuclear facilities
Following the U.S. strikes on Iran, a video (archived here) purported to show the aftermath of “America destroying [an] Iranian nuclear reactors”.
A Google Lens search of the video revealed an earlier version from June 18, in which the creator describes the footage as “Big explosion in a city | ai video.”
Video of fire at English college mispresented as aftermath of Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv
Home Front Command forces, both the regular and reserve service, were deployed at several impact sites across Israel on Sunday following Iranian missile strikes which occurred after the U.S. bombed three nuclear sites in Iran.
Video emerged on TikTok (archived here) purporting to show a “massive fire after [an] Iranian missile made impact in Tel Aviv”.
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The video shows firefighters battling a blaze using an extension ladder at a building as eyewitnesses look on.
The video actually shows a fire at at a disused former college building in the English city of Coventry in April 2025.
“Firefighters are tackling a blaze at a disused former college building in Coventry, with fierce flame visible to the site's neighbours. Twelve crews were sent to the scene on Henley Road, West Midlands Fire Service said on X shortly after 20:00 BST,” the BBC wrote on April 29.
Google Street View and Google Earth satellite imagery locate the buildings in Coventry, confirming the video does not show Tel Aviv.
RATING
From this analysis, we can conclude that the video, which is purported to show an explosion at Fordo, is actually from Syria, while a second video shows the aftermath of strikes on the Shahran Oil Depot in Tehran a week earlier.
Video game footage has been used to illustrate B-2 bomber activity in Guam, while AI-generated footage has been used to show the aftermath of strikes on a nuclear facility in Iran.
Finally, the video purported to show the aftermath of an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv is actually from the English city of Coventry.
SOURCES
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: The first released video from Fordow [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: Breaking News | US Attack on Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
عين ليبيا (2024). ليست هزّة أرضية.. غارات إسرائيلية عنيفة تهزّ طرطوس. [online] عين ليبيا | آخر أخبار ليبيا. Available: here [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: B-2 stealth bombers now airborne to Guam, tracked west over Pacific with refueling tankers. [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: US entry into the Iran-Israel war [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: B-2 Spirit Bomber aircraft. [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Instagram. (2020). Instagram 用户 Dk Kumar. [online] Available at: here [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: RAW VIDEO: Shahran Oil Depot In Tehran, Iran, Is Hit By Israeli Strikes [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: Big explosion in a city | ai video [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Youtube.com. (2025). Available at: America destroys Iranian nuclear reactors [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Tiktok.com. (2025). Available at: #Iran [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Tiktok.com. (2025). Available at: massive fire after [an] Iranian missile made impact in Tel Aviv [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Headley, S. (2025). Huge fire at disused Henley College building in Coventry. [online] Bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9xmerye4o [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].
Street (2019). Street View · Google Maps. [online] Street View · Google Maps. Available at: 160 Kennet Cl [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].