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Kate Atkinson

Deepfake news report falsely announces Iran's surrender

An AI deepfake is spreading false information that Iran has surrendered to Israel. (AAP/Facebook)

What was claimed

Iran has surrendered to Israel.

Our verdict

False. The claim is based on an artificial intelligence-generated video and Iran has not surrendered to Israel.

AAP FACTCHECK - A video of a newsreader announcing Iran has surrendered to Israel has been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

Iran has made no announcement of surrender and there are several deepfake red flags in the video.

The Israel-Iran conflict has been the subject of various fake videos and photos, with many depicting explosions or missile attacks.

This latest video is being shared by social media users in the Pacific region.

A Facebook post by an account that appears to be located in Papua New Guinea states: "IRAN SURUNDER TO Israel".

The post, which has gained over one million views, includes a video which supposedly shows a television news report.

"Breaking news, Iran has officially surrendered to Israel," the newsreader says.

"A path to peace may finally be in sight between the two nations."

It then cuts to a crowd of people chanting "Israel we want peace, please" and "We are sorry," with Iranian flags waving in the background.

Screenshot of an AI deepfake shared on Facebook.
The AI-generated "Iranian crowd" contains what appear to be duplicated images. (AAP/Facebook )

There are several signs in the video indicating that it has been created using AI.

The newsreader's lips move unnaturally, while a reverse image search did not return any results for an authentic newsroom that matches the one depicted in the video.

A group of people in the background disappear at the three and six-second marks, some faces appear to be duplicated and the video has a soft and blurry quality.

The Facebook user has shared multiple other AI-generated videos and identifies as a "digital creator" on his profile.

Conflict between the two nations broke out after Israel launched a surprise attack on June 13 that targeted Iranian cities, nuclear sites and the nation's top military command.

Iran responded with retaliatory air strikes, launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei
The Ayatollah congratulated Iranians on their "victory" over Israel in a video to the nation. (ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA PHOTO)

Following an American attack on Iranian nuclear sites, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, which came into effect on June 24 and remains in place as of July 1.

There's no evidence Iran has "surrendered" to Israel.

On the contrary, in a June 26 speech broadcast on Iranian state television, the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei declared "victory" over Israel.

"The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hard slap to America's face," he said, according to an ABC News report.

AAP FactCheck has debunked other claims about the conflict based on AI-generated content.

AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.

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