Dawn (Pakistan)
Fact check: Viral video does not show Iranian Navy destroying ship in Strait of Hormuz
Multiple X users have been sharing a video on the social media platform since July 14, claiming that it shows the Iranian Navy destroying a ship in the Strait of Hormuz amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East.
However, the video is old and shows the US Navy destroying an Iranian Soleimani-class corvette vessel in the Persian Gulf.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted once again after Iranian forces shut down the vital maritime route after exchanging heavy missile and drone assaults with US forces, with multiple US facilities in the Gulf states coming under fire on July 12, 2026.
The United States military has concluded a fourth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, as Washington and Tehran both stake claims for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
On July 14, a pro-Iranian account, based on its display profile and past posts, shared a video on X, showing a ship engulfed in flames in the sea, claiming to have been attacked by the Iranian Navy in the Strait of Hormuz.
The post was captioned: “This ship was given clearance to pass the Strait of Hormuz by the US without even coordinating with the IRGC. It is now at the bottom of the sea after catching fire. For a safe passage through the strait, only the IRGC can give you clearance.”
The post attracted 3.8 million views.
Another pro-Iranian account, based on its display profile, shared the same video with the following caption: “Breaking video: Iran sinks ship in the Strait of Hormuz after the US gave it clearance to pass, sending a message to the world that only the IRGC controls the Strait of Hormuz.”
The post garnered 1.9m views on X.
The video was shared by another pro-Iranian user in a similar context with the following caption: “Just one day after Trump’s claim that ‘we destroyed Iran’s naval power,’ a US ship attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz was sunk.”
The post gained 1.7m views on X.
Another user, describing them as an anti-Zionist Jew Arab, shared the same video with the following caption: “The end of white Western colonialism around the world begins here.”
The post gained 175,000 views.
Similarly, a user who appeared to be pro-Iranian also shared the same video with a similar caption on X. The post garnered 133,000 views.
Indian media outlet ABP Telugu also shared the same visual in a news article on July 15 titled: “US-Iran War: War between America and Iran reaches a critical level! Roundup with Hormuz with 20 warships and hundreds of fighter jets.”
The video was shared by several other pro-Iranian users on X, such as here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating 192,000 views.
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in renewed tensions in the Middle East.
A keyword search conducted to verify whether any Middle Eastern or international media outlet had run the viral video yielded no results.
A reverse image search of keyframes yielded a news article published on March 10 by Naval News, an independent and private media publication on covering global naval affairs.
The article with the same visuals was titled: “US Navy strikes another Iranian Catamaran Corvette”.
According to the news article, the US Navy struck Iran’s Shahid Soleimani-class missile catamaran corvette in the Gulf on March 8, 2026. The corvette, identified as IRIS Haj Qasem, was struck while anchored off Bandar Lengeh.
A further keyword search conducted on the details from the article yielded the same video shared by several other international media outlets, such as CNN News 18, News 18, and Baki Xeber on March 10, with a similar context. The video was titled: “War escalation: US naval strike hits Iranian Shahid Soleimani-class warship in Persian Gulf”.
Iran International – English shared a longer video on Facebook, showing the blowing of the ship along with the viral video part starting at the 21-second mark. The post was titled: “Eyewitness footage confirms Monday’s airstrike on Iranian ship”.
According to the description of the video, a naval vessel belonging to the Iranian navy was struck in an airstrike in the Persian Gulf. The ship appeared to be a Soleimani-class corvette, according to reports.
Another keyword search conducted yielded the same video shared by the Emirati media outlet, Gulf Today, on Instagram, dated March 9, 2026, further corroborating the same incident.
View this post on Instagram
Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows a ship recently destroyed by the Iranian Navy in the Strait of Hormuz is false.
The video is old and shows the US Navy destroying an Iranian Soleimani-class corvette vessel in the Persian Gulf.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
4 hours ago
