US President Donald Trump said early on Monday that Iran’s military strength is being steadily eroded as the American campaign against the country continues.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that Iran’s military capabilities are facing ongoing attrition and what he described as the “systematic destruction” of its forces as US operations progress.
But alongside the fighting, Trump suggested another battle is unfolding, one for global perception.
The president accused Tehran of flooding the media with misleading information and fabricated wartime footage generated using artificial intelligence. According to Trump, many of the images and reports circulating about the conflict have been deliberately manipulated to exaggerate Iran’s strength.
“Iran is an ineffective and weak military force,” Trump wrote. He went on to claim that the only victories the country appears to achieve are those it “carefully fabricates and promotes through artificial intelligence to the media.”
One of the claims he addressed directly involved widely circulated images allegedly showing the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN‑72) engulfed in flames.
Trump dismissed the images outright, describing them as “completely fabricated”. He insisted the carrier had never been targeted and that reports suggesting otherwise were false.
He also rejected claims that Iran had deployed so-called “suicide boats” against US forces, reports that have circulated online in recent days. Trump described those stories as misinformation designed to inflate the perceived capabilities of Iran’s military.
The president further pushed back on reports alleging that five American aerial refuelling aircraft had been shot down or severely damaged during the conflict.
According to Trump, the aircraft remain operational, with only one currently undergoing repairs and expected to return to service shortly.
Closing his remarks, Trump warned readers not to believe viral clips showing ships and buildings appearing to burn in supposed wartime attacks. He described the videos as “fake news generated by artificial intelligence”.
As tensions continue to rise, the war of narratives, fought across social media and global news platforms, appears to be intensifying alongside the military campaign itself.
