Donald Trump has resorted to posting embarrassing AI-generated videos suggesting his war on Iran is going well after his own military leaders warned against expanding operations in the Middle East.
The 80-year-old president posted two fake videos on Truth Social showing a military attack on Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export hub, which handled around 90 percent of the country’s oil exports before the war broke out. In one, Trump claimed it was being “blown to smithereens!!!”
There has been no such attack on Kharg Island, but the cringe AI videos were posted after the U.S. carried out rocket launcher strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded by attacking two U.S. bases in Jordan as both countries fought each other for the first time since July.
Trump’s desperate AI posting also came after a damning leak revealed that several U.S. military leaders had warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against continuing large-scale operations in Iran over fears that doing so would hinder the U.S. military’s ability to respond to threats elsewhere.
The Iran conflict has dragged on for six months, with no real end in sight. According to a classified Aug. 14 report known as the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB)—obtained by The Washington Post—leading generals and admirals fear that continuing to divert ships, aircraft, and stockpiles to the Iran war is unsustainable.
They also expressed concern about keeping around 50,000 troops on alert for months in case Trump orders increased attacks.
One person familiar with the assessment said the general feeling among top military brass is that the Iran war has been “too much for too long.” Another source added that while it is common for military leaders to assess risk around any conflict, the outlook regarding Iran is now “more dire” overall.
It was also revealed that the leaders of the U.S. European Command, U.S. Pacific Command, and U.S. Southern Command, along with the Navy’s top admiral, each responded with a “non-concur” to Hegseth’s orders to have troops remain in the Middle East into 2027.
This means they do not agree with the orders but will carry them out nevertheless.
The Post reported last week that Russia considers the U.S. significantly weaker because of the Iran war and how much it has depleted its weapons stockpiles.
It is feared that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use this as an excuse to launch an attack on a NATO country, believing that any U.S. response would be severely hindered.
Trump has been widely mocked for posting AI-generated videos about the Iran war that are not based in reality.
Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia state senator and retired United States Army major, wrote on X while sharing a screengrab of Trump’s “smithereens” post: “Donald Trump is fighting a war in VR while our troops are going without, our bases are being destroyed, and our munitions are depleting. Pure buffoonery.”
Author and geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert added: “I’m telling you guys and gals here: Trump is getting ready to do something bats--t crazy--which is why the generals and admirals are leaking SDOB to the WaPo. They’re FREAKING OUT because it’s obvious that Trump and his team are going to make them do something nutty.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
