A number of media outlets and social media posts have claimed that, in response to several remarks by Donald Trump following Israel’s attacks on key Iranian nuclear and other strategic sites on June 13, the Iranian government made a statement through its official social media account directed at Trump: “Mr. Donald Trump! If you do not know who we are, read the history of Karbala.” This claim has since been widely circulated.

Fact-check

Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation found that no such statement was made by the Iranian government toward Trump referencing “read the history of Karbala.” The claim appears to have been spread citing two sources: an X account named “Islamic Republic of Iran” and a Facebook account named “Iran Military.” However, neither of these accounts is an official account of the Iranian government or its military forces.

Reports published in various media outlets cite these two social media accounts as the sources of the claim. These reports embed the specific posts from the aforementioned accounts to support their narrative.

Upon further investigation on the X platform, it was found that the mentioned account has been removed for violating platform policies. However, an archived version of the account remains accessible online. The archived profile description includes the terms “independent” and “unaffiliated,” indicating that it was not operated by any official or affiliated entity.

According to X's policies, parody, commentary, or fan accounts must include labels such as “parody,” “fake,” or “fan” in both their names and bios to avoid being mistaken for official accounts.

Although the profile carried a blue verification badge, it was obtained through X's general paid verification system, which is available to any user who pays a subscription fee. X assigns a separate grey badge for accounts belonging to government organizations, further confirming that the account in question was not official.

Similarly, an analysis of the Facebook profile named “Iran Military” revealed that while it featured the national flag of Iran, it lacked the military’s official logo, which would be expected on a verified government or military page. Additionally, the bio of the profile also contained the words “independent” and “unaffiliated,” confirming that this too was not an official account.

Furthermore, a report published on June 14 by Iran’s state news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency, clarified that the Iranian military does not maintain any official presence on domestic or foreign social media platforms.

Therefore, the claim that the Iranian government issued a statement directed at Trump saying “read the history of Karbala” is false.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/media-misquoted-fake-iran-account/156662