2026 Iran War: 50 False Claims and Counting
NewsGuard has now identified 50 false claims related to the conflict that collectively have garnered hundreds of millions of views — an average of two false claims a day.
By Lea Marchl, Sofia Rubinson, Ines Chomnalez, Juliette Schofield, Mascha Wolf, Isis Blachez, Michele Calamaio, Charlene Lin | Last Updated March 24, 2026
Twenty-five days into the Iran war, NewsGuard has identified 50 false claims related to the conflict that collectively have garnered hundreds of millions of views — an average of two false claims a day.
NewsGuard identified three themes related to the 50 false narratives: They overwhelmingly push a pro-Iran agenda; they have evolved from using misrepresented photos and videos to fabricated AI-generated imagery; and increasingly, they involve assertions that authentic media publishing accurate stories is actually AI-generation of false claims.
While pro-Iran claims have dominated NewsGuard’s database, only a handful were originated by Iranian state media, NewsGuard found. This could be a reflection of the damage that sustained U.S. and Israeli bombing has inflicted on Iranian leadership and infrastructure, including the shelling of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) headquarters. Moreover, NewsGuard has previously found that compared to Russia and China, the Iranian regime is a far less prolific producer of disinformation.
Researchers, platforms, advertisers, government agencies, or other institutions interested in licensing the full list of domains or False Claim Fingerprints debunkings of the full list of false claims related to the 2026 Iran war can contact us here. These false claims are included in the FAILSafe datastream to protect AI models from being infected by Iranian, Russian and Chinese false claims.
Below is a selection of false claims from our reporting, and their corresponding debunks:
MYTH: An image shows an Iranian missile inscribed with the phrase ‘In memory of the victims of Epstein Island’
An image purportedly showing an Iranian missile inscribed in Farsi with the phrase “In memory of the victims of Epstein Island” was edited with an AI tool to include the writing, according to a reverse image search and two AI detection tools. NewsGuard confirmed that the original version of the image showed no writing on the missile and predated the March 2026 war.
MYTH: A video of Benjamin Netanyahu mocking claims that he was dead is AI-generated, suggesting he really is dead
A video of Benjamin Netanyahu making jokes about claims of his death in a March 15, 2026, video was not AI-generated. AI-detection company GetReal Security found no indication that the video is AI-generated, and other images and videos of the event confirm that the video is authentic.
MYTH: A video and a photo show that as of March 2, 2026, Iranian missiles had struck the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier
A video and an image do not show that Iranian missiles struck the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier as of March 2, 2026. The visuals were published online before the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran began in February 2026, with the video appearing in June 2025 and the image in June 2013. In addition, the U.S. Central Command denied Iranian missiles had attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln.