Many Democrats have claimed that President Donald Trump didn’t have the legal authority to unilaterally order the Feb. 28 joint military airstrikes with Israel that resulted in the death of the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Shows U.S. Embassy In Saudi Arabia On Fire After Drone Attack — It’s AI-Generated
Is this picture showing the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia on fire after a drone attack real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the image 99.7% likely to be AI-generated and it contained a watermark from an AI image genera
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Cristiano Ronaldo Leaving Dubai Resort After Iran Attack — Video Is From January 2026
Does a viral video show soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo leaving a resort in Dubai after an Iranian missile hit his car in March 2026? No, that's not true: The clip predates the most recent escalation in the Middle East. The original video
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Burning Plane, Airport Terminal In Dubai
Is this a real video of a burning plane and airport terminal in Dubai? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the video as 99.8% likely to be AI-generated. Dubai International Airport did sustain "minor damage" following an I
Full Fact→ Mel Stride repeats inaccurate claim about youth unemployment
Full Fact→ Video showing plane evacuation was filmed in Denver, not Israel
A video shared with captions claiming a plane was targeted at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport was actually filmed in Denver last year.
PolitiFact→ Guilford-Rockingham Alliance – NC attack ad omits context about Berger, ban on reassignment surgeries
NC state Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, “killed a bill banning sex-change surgeries for minors.”
PolitiFact→ Generally recognized as safe? The FDA may reconsider corn syrup, other processed food ingredients
Are processed food ingredients safe? FDA may reconsider
Full Fact→ Video does not show American airbase ablaze after Iranian strike in Saudi Arabia
Posts claiming a video shows an American airbase in Saudi Arabia burning after an Iranian missile attack are misleading. The footage actually shows a July 2024 Israeli airstrike in Yemen.
Full Fact→ JD Sports is not offering Nike trainers for £3
A Facebook post falsely claims people can access this special deal by completing an online questionnaire.
Full Fact→ Strengthening Arab fact checking: lessons from partnering with the Arab Fact-Checking Network
A timely reminder of how our AI tools can help journalists and fact checkers identify falsehoods in multiple languages at internet scale.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Iranian Missile Striking Or Sinking U.S.S. ‘Abraham Lincoln’ — U.S. Military Denies Attack
Does a viral clip prove that Iran sank the American aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" involved in the military operation in the region? No, that's not true: The U.S. military denied the rumors twice. No credible media organizations repor
PolitiFact→ Chris Murphy – Have missile strikes without ground troops ever brought about regime change?
“There is no history … that shows an air campaign alone will result in positive regime change. In fact, there's not a single example of it in the entirety of American history.”
PolitiFact→ X posts – Iran has not claimed responsibility for deadly strike on girls’ school, despite social media claims
“The regime in Iran has now confessed that the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) mistakenly bombed an Iranian school yesterday.”
PolitiFact→ These videos don’t show US strikes in Iran and counterattacks, they’re AI and outdated
These AI and outdated videos are not of Iran strikes
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Burj Khalifa On Fire Amid US Attack On Iran — It’s AI
Is a video showing the Burj Khalifa skyscraper on fire amid the U.S. attack on Iran real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the image 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. There were explosions due to retaliation from Iran in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake Pictures Show Stevie Nicks And Other Celebrities With Their $80 Million Private Jets — Clickbait From Overseas
Do real photos show celebrities like Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, and Barry Manilow posed in front of their $80 million private jets? No, that's not true: A network of fake fan pages are publishing nearly identical copy/paste clickbait storie
PolitiFact→ X posts – There’s no evidence the Austin, Texas, mass shooting suspect is ‘Israeli’
“Israeli shooter opened fire inside an Austin (Texas) bar” on March 1, 2026.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Soldiers’ Coffins Arriving In The US Is NOT From Those Killed In Kuwait In March 2026 — From December 2025
Is a video of coffins arriving in the US showing soldiers that were killed in an attack in Kuwait in March 2026 during the U.S. attack on Iran? No, that's not true: The video is from December 2025. It shows the dignified transfer of two N
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show American Soldier Named ‘Bishop’ Crying After Attack ‘In The Gulf’
Does a video show an American soldier named Bishop in "the Gulf" crying because his shattered phone screen prevents him from seeing his daughter's face? No, that's not true: The clip is AI-generated and comes from a social media page know
PolitiFact→ Social Media – Videos do not show missile strike on USS Abraham Lincoln
Videos show Iranian missiles struck and damaged the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
PolitiFact→ Is gel nail polish safe? Answers on UV lights and ‘banned’ chemicals
Is gel nail polish safe?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Women In Iran Removing Burqas, Burning Pictures Of Khamenei After He Died In U.S.-Israeli Strikes In 2026
Does a video show women in Iran removing burqas and then burning pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he died in U.S.-Israeli strikes in February 2026? No, that's not true: The clip being shared does not show people in
Full Fact→ Fake image showing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei buried in rubble circulates online
A picture which appears to show the body of the Iranian Supreme Leader has been shared online—but it isn’t genuine.
Full Fact→ The home secretary did not take part in a minute’s silence for Ayatollah Khamenei
Claims on social media that Shabana Mahmood marked the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader in this way are false, and the photo used in the posts is over a year old.
Full Fact→ Fake image of burning Burj Khalifa circulates online
An image showing people running away from a burning Burj Khalifa is AI.
Full Fact→ Video shows 2015 explosions in China, not Tel Aviv
A miscaptioned video has been shared on social media with claims it shows explosions in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Bono, Or Your Favorite Celeb Did NOT Donate $5 million To Help Iran Elementary School Destroyed In Airstrike
Did Neil Diamond, Eminem, Coco Gauff, or any of a long list of celebrities donate $5 million to provide emergency relief and medical aid following the tragic elementary school strike in southern Iran? No, that's not true: The false claim
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show U.S. Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln On Fire After Iran Missile Attack — Old Game Video
Does a video show the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln burning in the Red Sea after being hit by Iranian missiles in 2026? No, that's not true: The video first appeared online on June 23, 2025, in a post making a similar false claim d
PolitiFact→ US attacks in Iran prompt renewed push in Congress over war powers
Iran attacks prompt renewed push in Congress over war powers
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI Photo Of Khamenei Body Pulled From Rubble By Rescue Workers Has SynthID Watermark — Not Released By Iran
Is this a real image released by Iran of Supreme Leader Khamenei's body being pulled from under rubble by rescue workers? No, that's not true: According to Google's Gemini tool the image contains a SynthID watermark indicating it was gene
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Did NOT Address The World After Reports Of His Death
Did Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei address the world, proving that he is still alive? No, that's not true: The video circulating on social media is from a speech by Khamenei broadcast more than two weeks earlier on Feb. 11,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Inconsistencies In Before/After Image Showing Damage To US Base In Bahrain — NOT Real Picture
Does a viral image accurately depict damage to a U.S. installation in Bahrain after a drone or other strike? No, that's not true: Though there were news reports of several strikes in the area, the viral before/after image contains several
New York Times→ Fact-Checking Trump’s Justifications for Attacking Iran
The president made unsupported and exaggerated claims in a speech announcing the attack on Iran.
PolitiFact→ Could Iran ‘soon’ hit US with long-range missile? Experts doubt Trump as US bombs Iran.
Trump launches Iran strikes with unproven statements
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show U.S. Fighter Jets Involved In Real Dogfight Over Iran — It’s Game Video
Does a video show U.S. fighter jets in a real dogfight over Iran in the Feb. 28, 2026, conflict? No, that's not true: The clip from a video game was posted on a U.S. Army spoof account two days ahead of the conflict and has been circulati
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Fire At Tel Aviv Munitions Storage Building During Iran Attack on Israel In 2026 — It’s A 2024 Apartment Fire
Does a video of a fire recorded from a balcony in Tel Aviv show the aftermath of a missile attack on Israel on February 28, 2026? No, that's not true: The video was shared on social media on October 26, 2024, and there was no claim that a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Iranian Leader Khamenei’s Name IS Mentioned In The Epstein Files — 196 Results In Search
Is Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei not mentioned in the "Epstein Files" as a viral social media post said? No, that's not true: A search of the files released by the Department of Justice for his name brought up 196 results. Most of t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Official Reports John Bolton Has Died In Wake Of Iran Strikes Late February 2026 — Confirmed Alive
Were there any official reports about former National Security Advisor John Bolton dying in the wake of airstrikes on Iran late February 2026? No, that's not true: The claim was only made in a likely satirical social media post. There wer
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo EDITED To Look Like Maxwell Was Touching Melania’s Breast While Posing With Trump At A Costume Party
Does a viral image prove that Ghislaine Maxwell, a socialite convicted of sex trafficking for Jeffrey Epstein, touched Melania Trump's breast while posing next to Donald Trump at a party in the early 2000s? No, that's not true: A real pho