Trump Claims Iran Using Advanced AI as Disinformation Weapon; Here Are the Facts
President Donald Trump has levelled sudden accusations that Iran is employing advanced artificial intelligence technology as a “disinformation weapon” in warfare against the United States, amid escalating tensions across the Middle East.
According to Trump, Iran is utilising AI technology to falsify reports of the success of its retaliatory strikes against Israel and American military bases throughout the Middle East.
It should be noted that Iranian attacks on two critical pieces of infrastructure—massive AWS data centres in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates—have been confirmed by AWS. These attacks resulted in widespread outages of consumer applications, including banking services.
Furthermore, Iranian bombardment of US military bases has caused several airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to experience total shutdowns. Flight operations have yet to return to full normalcy.
“AI can be very dangerous, we must be very careful with it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to Reuters on Monday, 16 March 2026.
This statement came shortly after he posted on Truth Social, alleging that Western media was working closely with Iran to disseminate AI-generated false news. Trump made this allegation without providing evidence.
These comments emerged amid renewed tensions between the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and broadcasting organisations following Trump’s targeting of media coverage of the US-Israel-Iran war. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened over the weekend to revoke broadcasting licences from organisations that did not improve their coverage direction.
Trump Silences Media
Trump has repeatedly accused Western media of spreading falsehoods when they report stories that he considers critical of him. Previously, Trump has called for the removal of licences from media outlets he views as unfair.
Between social media posts and his comments to journalists, Trump on Sunday, 15 March (local time) outlined three examples of Iran using AI to “mislead” the public.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Iran displayed fictitious kamikaze ships. He also alleged that Iran used AI to exaggerate the success of its attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Trump stated that media outlets spreading such reports could be subject to sanctions for treason.
Reuters has verified images filmed from the port of Basra in Iraq, which show Iranian ships laden with explosives apparently attacking two fuel tankers, resulting in the deaths of at least one crew member.
Iranian state media did claim that the Iranian military attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln, though this claim received limited coverage by Western media.
Trump also claimed that images showing “250,000” Iranian citizens at a demonstration supporting new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei were “entirely fabricated by AI” and that the event “never occurred.”
Several pro-government demonstrations have taken place in Iran since the war began, but a brief Reuters search found no Western media reports citing the 250,000 figure. Numerous media organisations, including Reuters, have published news photographs showing crowds in Tehran following Khamenei’s appointment as leader.
Trump did not clarify which specific news reports from Iran he was referring to.