Fact Check: Did Trump share a Truth Social post threatening to use WMDs against Iran?

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid growing tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran, online users spread a viral rumor claiming that President Donald Trump is preparing to take major action against Iran.

The claim says he warned against bombing Iran’s power plants because the IRGC could retaliate by targeting desalination facilities in Gulf states, which could lead to mass civilian deaths similar to weapons of mass destruction. Here’s a fact check of the unverified claim.

Claim: Donald Trump threatened to use WMDs against Iran

A viral screenshot of an alleged Truth Social post by Donald Trump circulated online, reportedly reposted by X user @CryptoCyberia with the caption: "Well, this is going poorly for all involved." 

The screenshot appeared to show Trump’s post, which began, "The IRGC just stated that if we bomb Iran's power plants, they'll bomb desalination plants in the Gulf States."

Trump allegedly added, "DO NOT DO IT! IT WOULD BE A HUGE MISTAKE! The majority of the people in the Gulf States rely on these delisalination plants for their daily drinking water."

The unverified post continued with Trump warning, "The level of death and suffering caused would be comparable to that of WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. If the terrorist regime of Iran did it, we may have to respond with such WEAPONS OF OUR OWN."

Trump’s alleged post concluded with a signature sign-off, "I pray I NEVER have to do it, but if the lives of MILLIONS are at stake, I WILL NOT HESITATE! Thank you for you attention to this matter! - President DJT."

Fact Check: False, Trump did not share a post threatening Iran with WMDs

The screenshot, allegedly posted by President Trump and circulating online, is fake.

The account that posted it confirmed it was not real, and the post contains typos that show it did not come from Trump. Searches of Trump’s Truth Social account and major news outlets found no evidence of the supposed threat, further proving the claim is false.

Although the image went viral, there is no such post on his account, and there are no news reports of a White House threat.

A Google and Yahoo News search found no matching reports. A direct search of Trump’s Truth Social account for the phrase “The IRGC just stated that if we bomb Iran's power plants” returned no results. Even when limiting Google searches to links from his Truth Social account, the phrase did not appear.

The fake post also contained obvious errors: it misspelled “desalination” as “delisalination” and wrote, “Thank you for you attention to this matter!” instead of “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

What Trump actually warned is that the United States would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, signaling a dangerous escalation in the conflict during its fourth week.

In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, "If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER ⁠PLANTS, ‌STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”