Fact Check: Did Trump post about accomplishing US mission in Iran?
WASHINGTON, DC: As the conflict in the Middle East continues, which escalated following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader in a joint operation by the United States and Israel, a claim has been going viral on social media showing a post by President Donald Trump in which he wrote about accomplishing the mission in Iran. Let us fact-check the claim.
Claim: Donald Trump says 'mission accomplished' in Iran
In the purported post by Trump, the president wrote about destroying the nuclear facility of Iran, highlighting that the mission has been accomplished.
The claim circulated in the form of a screenshot showing a post by Trump on his official Truth Social handle, which states, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We have totally destroyed, and even OBLITERATED, Iran's nuclear facilities, missiles and drones."
"The formerly Supreme Leader, is DEAD! We have sent a message to Iran, and the World! USA!”
The alleged post has been circulated on other social media platforms, claiming to be authentic.
Fact Check: False, Donald Trump never made such a post
However, Trump never made such a post, and the screenshot is fake. A search on the official Truth Social handle of the POTUS yielded no results, proving that no such post exists.
Also, the screenshot mentions the date of its posting to be March 12, 2026, proving it to be fake.
If the claim were true, it would have been widely reported by prominent news media outlets.
A fact check by Grok also confirmed the screenshot to be fake, stating, “No, Trump did not post this. It's a fabricated screenshot with a future date (March 12, 2026)."
"While US-Israeli strikes hit Iran's nuclear sites in 2025 and Supreme Leader Khamenei was assassinated on Feb 28, 2026, no record exists of this exact Truth Social post.”
Donald Trump says Iran's new leader must get US approval
The screenshot surfaced as Trump said on Sunday, March 8, that Iran’s next Supreme Leader would need approval from the United States to remain in power, as Tehran chose the deceased Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as their new Supreme Leader.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump warned that any new Iranian leader would struggle to survive without US backing.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump said. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” he added.
The president further added that the United States wants to prevent future conflicts over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
