The United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire in May 2026, but footage circulating online showing a damaged warship is not linked to the latest clashes. The video shows signs it was AI-generated and is based on actual footage of damage to a US ship after it collided with a Japanese-owned oil tanker over a decade ago.
“The result of Iran’s rocket attack on an American destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz,” reads an Indonesian-language TikTok post shared on May 8, 2026.
Screenshot of the false post taken on May 21 with a red X and an AI symbol added by AFP
The attached video shows a ship sailing with parts of its hull severely damaged and torn apart, while several people remain on the deck.
It surfaced after the United States and Iran accused each other of violating a fragile truce in the Middle East war.
US President Donald Trump said on May 7 Iran had attacked three American warships, while the US military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets in response to “unprovoked Iranian attacks”. But Tehran has charged that it was Washington that had initiated the exchange of fire (archived here and here).
It was also circulated in other similar TikTok posts. However, the circulating clip is not related to the incident.
A reverse image search using keyframes from the video led to a TikTok post published on May 1 sharing the same footage (archived link).
The post states that it shows the USS Porter heavily damaged after colliding with a ship called the Otowasan but did not specify when the accident happened.
Google’s SynthID tool has flagged that the video was generated using the tech giant’s AI tools (archived link).
Screenshot of Google SynthID Detector result
There are also visual inconsistencies in the clip — such as distortions in the appearance of people on the ship’s deck — a sign that the video was fabricated.
The account regularly uploads similar videos that also bear signs they were made with AI. AFP has contacted the owner of the account, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
Screenshot of the false post with visual inconsistency highlighted by AFP
The post appears to refer to a 2012 accident where the USS Porter collided with the Otowasan, a Japanese-owned oil tanker, near the Strait of Hormuz (archived link).
The US Navy said at the time no one was hurt in the accident and the ship was able to operate.
It also uploaded a video to its YouTube channel on August 12, 2012, with a caption saying it shows the damage to the US warship after the crash (archived link).
The clip appears to be the basis of the AI-generated footage, as both share similar elements.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the US Navy video
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Iran war.
