Old explosion video falsely linked to Israeli strikes on Iran
"BREAKING: ANOTHER EXPLOSION AT AN OIL REFINERY IN IRAN," says a June 13, 2025 post sharing the visual on X.
Image
Screenshot from X taken June 13, 2025
The post comes from Sulaiman Ahmed, a self-described journalist who has repeatedly shared disinformation about the Middle East and the war between Israel and Hamas.
Similar posts spread across platforms and in other languages, including Spanish and Persian.
The image circulated after the Israeli military hit a range of Iranian nuclear sites, in an of Israel's war with the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Oil prices soared in the aftermath of the airstrikes. But analysts told AFP price gains were capped in part by news that there has been no immediate reduction to crude production or supplies, as the strikes appeared to have avoided Iranian oil facilities.
Reverse image searches surfaced the photo in Iranian news reports detailing a November 4, 2020 incident at a petrochemical plant in Ilam, Iran (archived here and here). Rokna News Agency posted the photo to Telegram, saying it showed a "massive explosion" at the plant (archived here).
Further reports said the plume of smoke was in fact due to a fire in a waste pond that was quickly extinguished with no casualties (archived here, here and here).
AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Middle East, here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
44 minutes ago
- France 24
Iran missiles kill 10 in Israel in night of mutual attacks
In Iran, a heavy cloud of smoke billowed over the capital after Israeli aircraft struck two fuel depots. For days, Iranians have formed long queues at gas stations fearing shortages. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington "had nothing to do" with ally Israel's intense bombardment campaign that was launched early Friday, targeting key military and nuclear sites in Iran. But Trump threatened to launch "the full strength and might" if Iran attacks US interests, saying on his Truth Social platform that "we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!" Israeli police said six people were killed and at least 180 injured at the site of an overnight missile strike in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv on Israel's Mediterranean coast. First responders wearing helmets and headlamps combed through the bombed-out building as dawn broke, with police saying at least seven people were missing, feared buried under the rubble. "There was an explosion and I thought the whole house had collapsed," said Bat Yam resident Shahar Ben Zion. "It was a miracle we survived." In the north of Israel, rescuers and medics said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-storey building in the town of Tamra, killing four women and taking the overall death toll in the country since Friday to 13. Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday's first wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian authorities have not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday, but Tehran says Israel has killed top army commanders and nuclear scientists. - 'Red line' - After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East. In Iran's capital early Sunday, AFP journalists heard a series of blasts. The Israeli military also said it had struck nuclear sites including the secretive Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), fuel tankers and other targets. The Iranian oil ministry said Israel struck two fuel depots in the Tehran area. An AFP journalist saw a depot at Shahran, northwest of the capital, on fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit "every target of the ayatollah regime", while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw "a more severe and powerful response". Israeli strikes have hit Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. On Sunday, the Israeli military warned Iranians to evacuate areas near weapons facilities nationwide. "The Zionist regime crossed a new red line in international law" by "attacking nuclear facilities", Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign diplomats, according to state TV. He also said Tehran had "solid proof" US forces supported the Israeli attacks. "We are defending ourselves; our defence is entirely legitimate... If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop." - UK 'support' - The attacks persisted despite global calls for de-escalation, with Iran scrapping its latest nuclear talks with the United States, saying it could not negotiate while under fire from Israel. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling, in retaliation for the earlier Israeli strikes. The Guards in a statement vowed to respond "more fiercely and more broadly" if Israel keeps up its deadly campaign. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had launched several missiles at Israel in attacks that were "coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian military". The Israeli military said it had intercepted seven drones launched at the country within an hour on Sunday. Highlighting the global unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a "devastating war" with regional consequences, in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara said. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that his country was deploying fighter jets and other "assets" to the Middle East "for contingency support", while he also urged de-escalation. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Israel military warns Iran to evacuate nuclear sites
The Israeli military has warned Iran on Sunday to immediately evacuate 'military weapons production factories,' likely signalling new strikes. Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the warning on the social platform X in Farsi. In the past, Adraee has signalled other strikes in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Yemen amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. His warning came just after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would stop its attacks on Israel if Israel stopped its strikes. Our journalists are working on this developing story. It's day 2 in Budapest at the OTP Bank World Judo Championships. Dr. Tamas Sulyok, President of Hungary officially opened the event with IJF President, Mr Marius Vizer and Hungarian Judo Association President Dr Lazlo Toth in the presence of President of the Republic of Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko. ABE Uta powered her way into the final with precision and control from the first exchange. Her judo was sharp, her focus unshakable, and she looked every bit the champion in waiting. She sailed through the preliminaries, calm under pressure. In the final, she would face Kosovo's Distria KRASNIQI — a fierce competitor looking for a World title of her own. Krasniqi had been in excellent form throughout the day, battling through the preliminaries with a determination that makes her such a dangerous opponent. As the gold medal contest approached, both athletes looked sharp, setting the stage for a high-level clash between two world-class judoka. Ultimately, it was Abe who came out on top once again, claiming her fifth world title in style with ippon! The crowd roared with joy. Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohito of Mikasa awarded the medals. In the -66kg, Tajikistan's Nurali EMOMALI made it to the gold medal match after an impressive run through the preliminaries. After taking fifth place at last year's World Championships, one final contest stood between him and history. His opponent would be Japan's Takeshi TAKEOKA who delivered a brilliant performance, making his way to the final with confident, high-paced judo. Each contest showed his relentless pressure as he drove his way towards his goal, could he prove he belonged among the elite? In the final, as the two athletes went head-to-head in a tightly contested match, it was a single yuko that proved decisive — a small score in a high-stakes moment that ultimately determined the World Champion. President of the Republic of Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko awarded the medals. A highlight for the home nation was Roza GYERTYAS's impressive bronze medal! A moment that lit up the arena and brought the Budapest crowd to their feet. Join us again tomorrow for more!
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Woman arrested over alleged links to Colombia presidential candidate shooting
Uribe, a 39-year-old conservative senator, was shot twice in the head and once in the leg while giving a speech in a park on June 7 in western Bogota. The alleged shooter, a 15-year-old boy, and an accomplice who was accused of participating in the "logistics" of the attack had already been arrested. On Saturday, a police source informed AFP of a woman -- suspected of having links to the attack -- who was arrested in the Amazon region of Caqueta. "In the next few hours, they will transfer her to Bogota," the police source said, without providing further details. The other two detainees, heavily guarded in a prosecutor's bunker, are accused of homicide and carrying weapons. The minor, identified as the alleged gunman, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday. According to a report Saturday in Colombian magazine Semana, he said he was offered 20 million pesos (more than $4,800) to kill the politician. The newspaper El Tiempo also reported that one of the accused named a criminal who lives in Ecuador and controls a drug dealing area in Bogota as the alleged mastermind. Uribe remained hospitalized in intensive care, though he showed some signs of improvement this past week, doctors said Wednesday. President Gustavo Petro said the senator's improving health "cannot be explained by science." "He should be dead... and what's happening is that he's recovering," Petro said Saturday. Uribe's party, the opposition Democratic Center, temporarily suspended its campaign events for the 2026 presidential elections on Friday. Uribe has been a strong critic of Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, who sought in vain to make peace with the country's various remaining armed groups.
