“Iran’s Kharg Island Is Reduced to Rubble”: Donald Trump Posts AI-Generated Video

Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video depicting Iran’s Kharg Island in ruins, then shared a separate clip of himself playing golf less than a minute later. His caption read: “Iran’s Kharg Island is reduced to rubble!”

Trump has repeatedly threatened to seize the island, which is used to export Iranian oil, but has not carried out that threat. In recent weeks, his administration has prioritized economic sanctions against Iran’s government rather than launching new military attacks.

The social-media post came after the United States conducted its first attack in a month against Iranian military targets on Sunday. The targets allegedly had been attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan.

Kharg Island holds a central place in Iran’s oil trade. The island is described as a vital economic artery, and U.S. forces have avoided striking Iran’s energy infrastructure in the past. Trump had also explicitly said such targets would be spared, even as he repeatedly suggested that the United States could take control of the island to dominate Iran’s oil resources.

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Iran’s Kharg Island is reduced to rubble!