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DW
a day ago
- Politics
- DW
Fact check: Viral Evin prison blast video is likely AI-fake – DW – 06/27/2025
A viral video claiming to show an Israeli strike on Iran's Evin prison is probably AI-generated. Experts reveal key visual inconsistencies. A video went viral this week, allegedly showing the footage of a surveillance camera filming the entrance to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran being destroyed by an explosion. According to Israel, it had fired on the prison; Iran's judiciary confirmed the attack. The prison is known for reports of human rights violations against political prisoners of the Iranian regime. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had shared the black-and-white video (archived here) on his X account, writing: "We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians! They continued, including this morning. Our response: Viva la libertad, carajo!" Numerous international media outlets featured or referenced the six-second video to report on the attack. These included the New York Times, BBC, and the German channel ARD. They have since deleted the footage and added disclaimers to their publications. But the video appears to be fake. Most probably generated with AI with the help of an old image of the prison gate. DW Fact check looked at the puzzle pieces. A photo of the prison entrance, which is identical down to the smallest details, was used in a Persian-language article by Voice of America from May 2023. It shows a larger section of the image and was presumably taken from this post on X, from January 2023. If you compare the video circulating now and the image from 2023 you will see that there are a lot of similarities which are just too exact for pictures of the same location that have been taken at least 2 years apart: Compare the missing tiles on the left side of the entrance, or the bare shrubs in the right lower corner of the marked in both images. The shrubs are also an indication that the photo cannot be recent, but was instead taken in winter, as there are no leaves at all. Other pictures of Evin Prison on the internet, which were actually taken in summer, show the bushes and shrubs covered in dense foliage. One example, presumably from 2021, can be found here. Also, images of the damage actually caused at the prison now, shared by Iranian news agencies, show trees and bushes covered in leaves, and not bare, as in the black and white video sequence. Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in digital forensics, also pointed out the inconsistencies in the video shared by Saar in a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday. He wrote: "Unfortunately, the video is heavily compressed, making forensic analysis challenging. (…) It seems more likely that an AI-powered image-to-video generator was used with this image as the source The poor video quality seems plausible by faking a surveillance camera recording and complicates reverse image searches, as does the change in color footage to black and white. Farid added: "If this video is, in fact, fake, then it adds to a growing and disturbing trend of fake content circulating online as major world events unfold, making our understanding of what is happening and how to respond shaky, at best." Various fact checks, for example by Libération, VRT and ABC News Australia, have already come to the same conclusion: the video is not authentic. However, many users online and media outlets fell for it because there really was an attack on the prison. According to Iranian media, the attack not only struck the prison's main entrance but also damaged a prosecutor's office and two courts within Evin, cited in media reports. Further confusion was caused because the viral video matches real footage of the entrance gate. Farid told DW in a previous interview, "The problem with the fake content is that it's not just that people are creating fake content. It's that they are muddying the waters and suddenly everything is suspect." With the improvement of AI-generating programs and the sheer amount of content shared online, this "muddying of waters" is making it more and more difficult to distinguish between what is real and fake.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Berlin calls Iran strikes on US base ‘calibrated'
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed hope that the US and Iran will now enter talks to avoid further conflict. PHOTO: REUTERS BERLIN - Germany said on June 23 that Iran's retaliatory strikes on a US base were 'calibrated' and expressed hope that Tehran and Washington will now enter talks to avoid further conflict. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told the ARD broadcaster that Iran's launching of multiple missiles at the United States' Al Udeid base in Qatar was a 'calibrated answer' to American strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites. Mr Wadephul said he was also 'pleased that the American president has reacted in such a measured way' to Iran's strikes. In a post on X published shortly afterwards, Mr Wadephul said Iran's strikes were 'unacceptable' and said Germany 'stands in solidarity with our partners in the Gulf states'. In his comments to ARD he said that Iran's attack was 'to be condemned', but added it was 'not so strong or so uncontrolled that an escalation must follow'. '(Iran) is showing in an indirect way a certain readiness' for negotiations, he said. 'At this stage we can only repeat our demand to Iran to be ready for talks', he added, pointing to Mr Trump's latest statements in this regard. The eventual aim of any talks must be that 'Iran is permanently prevented from having nuclear weapons,' Mr Wadephul said. 'This would serve world peace, would serve Israel and Europe.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Local Germany
5 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
German chancellor says there's 'no reason to criticise' US strikes in Iran
"There is no reason to criticise what America did at the weekend. Yes, it is not without risk. But leaving things as they were was not an option either," Merz said in a speech to the Federation of German Industries. On Sunday Merz called for a swift return to diplomacy after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran overnight, his spokesman said. Iran must "immediately enter into negotiations with the US and Israel and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict", Merz said, according to his spokesman Stefan Kornelius. The German government believes "large parts of Iran's nuclear programme have been damaged by the airstrikes", Kornelius said. The US strikes came after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on June 13 targeting its missile and nuclear facilities, as well as military leaders and security services. Iran's uranium enrichment has for decades caused tension with the West and Israel, which fear the drive is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a charge denied by Tehran. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Sunday said "no one thinks it's a good thing to keep fighting" and Berlin will "keep doing everything we can to make sure we get serious negotiations going". Advertisement "Everyone knows there has to be a negotiated solution. I think everyone's ready for that," he told the ARD broadcaster. While France has expressed "concern" over the US strikes, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Washington had "taken on a responsibility in the region" in response to a "concrete threat". "What is important here is that a major threat has been eliminated, and I can only repeat that this is good news for the Middle East, but also for Europe," he told ARD. Chancellor Merz last week expressed strong support for Israel's campaign against Iran, describing it as "the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us".
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Iran's Foreign Minister Meets Putin, His Deputy Says Tehran Won't Halt Nuclear Bid
Last Updated: Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi has stressed that Tehran's nuclear programme won't stop despite Israeli bombings on several nuclear facilities. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday and described the attacks by Israel and the US on its nuclear facilities as 'illegitimate" and a violation of international norms. Putin condemned the attacks on Iran and said that they have 'no basis or justification". He reiterated Moscow's support for Tehran. 'This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran; it has no basis or justification. For our part, we are making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people," Putin said. Araghchi thanked Russia for supporting Iran and said that Tehran is defending its sovereignty. 'These aggressive actions by Israel and the US are completely illegitimate and violate international rules and international norms. We are defending our sovereignty and country, and our defence is legitimate," he said. As Iran affirmed its commitment to continuing the nuclear activities despite suffering heavy damage to the programme, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi refuted the idea of a halt to the pursuit, which also includes uranium enrichment. He stressed that Iran's nuclear programme will not be brought to a halt. His remarks came during an interview with Germany's ARD broadcaster on Sunday, a day before the meeting between its Foreign Minister Araghchi and Putin in Moscow today. Ravanchi dismissed demands from the US and other countries regarding a complete halt to Iran's nuclear programme and said, 'We are sincere members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. No one can tell us what we should and should not do as long as we remain within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty." He also said that Iran has pursued uranium enrichment for the 'peaceful" use of nuclear energy. The minister, however, did not speak on the damage to the nuclear sites in the bombardment by the US B2 bombers on Sunday. The US entered the ongoing war between Israel and Iran and attacked three nuclear sites in Iran – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iran has maintained that it reserves the right to its options for reaction to the US air strikes. Earlier, Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said that the nuclear industry has 'roots" in Iran and it 'cannot be destroyed". 'Of course, we have suffered damage, but this is not the first time that the industry has suffered damage," he said. The developments come after the US carried out airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear sites on Sunday. President Trump said the strikes were meant to stop 'the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror." He warned Iran not to retaliate and called on it to work toward a peace agreement in its conflict with Israel. Speaking from the White House that night, Trump also warned that the US would strike more Iranian targets 'if peace does not come quickly." First Published: June 23, 2025, 18:42 IST
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran confirms continued uranium enrichment after US strikes
Shafaq News/ Iran will continue enriching uranium, rejecting any external pressure over its nuclear program, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi confirmed on Monday. 'We will continue enrichment, and no one can dictate what we should or should not do, as long as we operate within the framework of our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),' Takht-Ravanchi stated in remarks to Germany's ARD television network. His comments came after the US targeted Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. President Donald Trump later confirmed the strikes, describing them as 'precision attacks on deep underground targets' and warning of 'more severe consequences' if Tehran does not end the ongoing war. Takht-Ravanchi denounced the attack as a 'breach of international law'' underscoring Iran's right to self-defense and dismissing renewed calls from the United States and Germany to return to negotiations. 'We were talking on June 13th when we were attacked,' he said. 'We do not negotiate just for the sake of negotiation.' The exchange marks a sharp escalation in regional tensions following the breakdown of indirect talks earlier this year. On June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, an offensive aimed at dismantling key components of Iran's nuclear, military, and intelligence infrastructure.
