Fact Check: Does the video show a US strike on Iran that allegedly killed its foreign minister?
TEHRAN, IRAN: Amid escalating strikes between the United States and Iran, a video circulated on social media platforms claiming to show a US strike on a building in Iran that allegedly killed the country's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. Let us analyze the video and fact-check the claim behind it.
Claim: Video shows a US airstrike that allegedly killed Iran's foreign minister
The viral video shows a building on fire, followed by a massive explosion, claiming to be the headquarters of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was allegedly killed in a US airstrike.
The video has been shared by several users on X, Facebook, and Threads, garnering hundreds of thousands of views, sparking concerns about the renewed conflict between Washington and Iran.
While many in the comments appear to believe the claim about Araghchi’s death to be true, others dismissed the claim as fake and questioned its authenticity.
Fact Check: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is alive
The claim, however, is false as there are no confirmed reports about Araghchi’s death. Additionally, the minister of the Islamic Republic has been regularly making appearances in public and giving press conferences.
There are also no credible news reports of any attack targeting a headquarters belonging to the Iranian foreign minister during the recent strikes.
Moreover, the video of the explosion that accompanied the post is not related to the renewed strikes and is not from Iran.
A reverse image search for the video revealed that the video dates back to August 2015 and documents the massive explosions that occurred at a hazardous materials storage facility in Tianjin, northeastern China, killing dozens of people.
Based on the reports about the incident, a fire broke out in a warehouse operated by a company specializing in the storage and handling of dangerous chemicals.
US strikes Iranian military sites after commerical ship attack
The video surfaced after the US launched airstrikes on Iranian missile, drone, and coastal radar sites on Friday, June 26, after Iran allegedly attacked a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command.
The operation came hours after President Donald Trump responded, "You'll find out," when asked whether Iran would face consequences for an alleged drone attack on a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strikes followed last week's US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) to safeguard commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, which Trump said Iran violated by targeting the vessel.
