Fact Check: Is the video showing American troops and vehicles in Iran real?
TEHRAN, IRAN: Amid the conflict in the Middle East, which escalated following the death of Iran’s supreme leader in a joint operation by the United States and Israel, a video has been circulating on social media platforms showing American troops and vehicles on the ground in Iran, sparking speculation. Let us fact-check the viral video.
Claim: Video shows American troops in Iranian streets
The video shared on Facebook on March 2 comprises two clips that show soldiers and military vehicles slowly moving through a city street at night, claiming to be from Iran.
Along with Facebook, the video was also shared on TikTok and X in English, Burmese, and Hausa languages, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
The video emerged after the US and Israel launched strikes across the Islamic Republic, leading to the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, following which Iran retaliated with massive strikes on the US and its allies in the Middle East.
Fact Check: The video is AI-generated
The video, however, is evidently AI-generated. A reverse image search of the clip's key frames led to a Facebook video posted on March 1 that encourages users to 'explore the iconic wonders of artificial intelligence.'
The comments under the post flagged the video as generated using AI. There is even a watermark on the bottom right corner, reading 'Daily mind_ai,’ seemingly covering another watermark.
As of this writing, the US has not deployed any ground troops in Iran. The White House said on March 4 that US ground troops in Iran are 'not part of the plan' for the operation 'at this time.'
Hence, it is unlikely for the troops to be spotted in the Iranian streets.
Donald Trump shows interest in troop deployment in Iran
President Donald Trump has privately shown interest in the possibility of putting American troops on the ground in Iran, though he has not committed to any action or issued orders.
The discussions, which took place with his aides and Republican allies outside the White House, focused on using a small number of soldiers for specific strategic roles rather than launching a full-scale invasion.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the reports, saying they were based on unnamed sources not directly involved in the president’s national security discussions.
She added that Trump 'wisely keeps all options open,' but critics of the reporting lack a true 'seat at the table.'
