Fact Check: Does the viral video show ship hit by Iranian missiles in Hormuz?

WASHINGTON, DC: A dramatic video of a ship engulfed in flames is spreading rapidly online, with claims that Iranian missiles struck it in the Strait of Hormuz. The footage surfaces amid a fresh wave of early May attacks threatening to derail the already fragile Middle East ceasefire. But is the viral clip really what it claims to be? Here’s a closer look at the facts.

Claim: Footage shows a ship engulfed in flames in the Strait of Hormuz

According to X user Spencer Hakimian, shaky video footage shows a large cargo ship engulfed in flames and thick black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz. 

He claimed the vessel was bombed by Iran on May 4, 2026. The post refers to a confirmed explosion and fire aboard the Panama-flagged, South Korean-operated HMM Namu near UAE waters. All 24 crew members were reported safe, with no casualties. The video was shared with the caption: “VIDEO: A SHIP IN HORMUZ WAS JUST BOMBED BY IRAN.”

Similar posts spread rapidly across X after Iran and the United States exchanged fire on May 4, as Washington sought to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the strategic waterway. US Central Command stated that American forces shot down multiple Iranian missiles and drones and destroyed several of Tehran’s small boats. 

Some posts claimed the video showed Iranian missiles striking a US warship in the strait, following a report by Iran’s Fars News Agency that was later denied by the US military. Fars also shared the clip on Telegram without identifying the vessel.

Other posts circulating on X alleged that the ship belonged to the United Arab Emirates, where officials said Iran had resumed missile launches toward its territory and deployed drones targeting a tanker linked to a state-owned oil company. Additional claims suggested the footage showed a South Korean cargo ship involved in an “explosion and fire,” as reported by authorities in Seoul.

Fact Check: False, the video is unrelated to the Strait of Hormuz

The vessel shown in the video is not American, Emirati, or South Korean, and the clip is unrelated to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The same footage had previously circulated in Arabic-language posts that falsely claimed it depicted a ship targeted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz in April 2026.

Reverse image searches show that The Times of India published identical, though clearer and less zoomed-in, aerial footage on Facebook and X on July 19, 2024, reporting that it showed a fire aboard a cargo ship off the coast of Goa.

The report stated that the vessel was carrying “international maritime dangerous goods,” and that the Indian Coast Guard battled the blaze in severe weather conditions.

The Indian Coast Guard also shared additional images of the vessel on its official X account. Agence France-Presse (AFP) distributed footage of the fire, reporting that multiple Indian Coast Guard ships responded after receiving a distress call about explosions on the front deck of the MV Maersk Frankfurt.

No casualties were reported. The ship had been sailing from Gujarat to Colombo at the time of the incident.