According to an article in The Israel Times dated August 31, U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on social media platforms on the evening of August 30. The post read, "The Halabja Island in Iran is being bombarded to pieces." This island serves as a key oil export hub for Iran.
Screenshot of the video showing "Halke Island" being bombed in the AI video
Halik Island is located in the northeastern part of the Persian Gulf and belongs to Iran. Although its area is small, it plays a crucial role as an oil export hub for Iran. It is not only a vital economic asset for Iran but also a key node in the global energy network. A article published by The Guardian in March stated that the island accounts for approximately 90% of Iran's oil exports.
It is reported that Trump has previously threatened to take control of the island used for exporting Iranian oil, but there has been no actual action taken.
On August 30, the US Central Command issued a statement stating that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s mining forces pose an “imminent threat” to the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, the US military carried out “limited and precise” operations against them. The US side stated that it was Iran that posed the threat, and the US military’s actions were aimed at “protecting the free passage of civilian crew members, commercial shipping, and global trade.”
On the evening of the 30th local time, the US military suddenly launched an attack on Larak Island in southern Iran. The US military stated that this was the first military action taken against Iran in over a month, with the target being the rocket launch facility of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the island.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran issued a statement: In retaliation for the invasions of Iran's Larnaq Island by the United States and Israel, the Aerospace Forces of the Revolutionary Guard launched missiles and drones, destroying technical and maintenance infrastructure at two US Air Force bases located in Jordan, and causing significant damage to enemy fighter positions.
It is understood that this is not the first time Trump has threatened to use AI-generated content against the island. As early as July 26, he posted a series of AI-generated images on the social platform “Truth Social,” which depicted the destruction or seizure of Iranian assets and infrastructure. One of the images showed fighter jets bombing an oil facility, with the caption “Targeting Halq.” Subsequently, he continued to post several more images, each with the caption “Now it’s our oil tankers!” In these photos, Trump was shown holding an AI-generated image of the American flag.
Trump’s AI-generated images on social media
