CLAIM

Viral video of Iraqi official declaring war against the United States and Israel

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and keyword search to trace the original source.

Multiple accounts and media outlets across social media platforms were sharing a video since March 24, 2026, showing a spokesperson for the commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces allegedly announcing a declaration of war against the US and Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. However, no such announcement was made by the Iraqi official.

The ongoing tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran escalated into a war on February 28, 2026, when US and Israeli forces launched large-scale airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, missile systems, and top security leadership.

In response, Iran carried out retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israel, US bases, and allied assets across the Middle East, further widening the conflict. The situation has since intensified, with both sides targeting energy infrastructure and strategic locations, disrupting global oil supplies and raising fears of a broader regional war.

The US is also conducting targeted air strikes against Iran-aligned Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, including a recent attack on a headquarters that killed 15 members.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 24, an account shared a video on X with the following caption: “Urgent: Iraq officially announces its entry into war against the United States and Israel. ‘We have decided to respond and defend ourselves against the attacks targeting our official Popular Mobilisation Forces.’ We remind you that Israel and the United States are launching airstrikes and attacks on Popular Mobilisation Forces headquarters and have killed many of its commanders loyal to Iran, according to their statements.”

The post gained 1.5 million views. It did not identify who the official was in the video.

Arabic digital media outlet, TMT Arabic, shared the same video on X with the same caption.

The post gained 2.4m views

A pro-Iranian user also shared the same clip in a similar context, captioning: “Breaking Iraq has green-lighted 250,000 Paramilitary Forces under the Popular Mobilisation Forces to fully respond and retaliate against strikes by the United States”

The post garnered 490,000 views.

Pakistani media outlet GTV News also shared the same clip in a similar context on YouTube, titled: “Breaking: Middle East tensions escalate | Iraq enters conflict | Big War Warning | GTV”

Iranian media outlet Tehran Times also shared the same video in a similar context on X with the following caption: “Iraq has authorised the Popular Mobilization Forces to retaliate against US and Israeli attacks in Iraq.”

The post gained 27,000 views.

The clip was shared by multiple other users on several social media platforms, such as YouTube here, here and here; on X here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here; on Facebook here, here and here; and on Instagram here and here. It collectively accumulated more than 750,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the US-Israel war with Iran.

A keyword search yielded no news reports from credible mainstream international, Iraqi or US outlets about any such declaration of war.

The transcription of the viral clip is provided below:

“In the light of the unjustified and violent attacks on the Iraqi sovereignty and the targeting of the headquarters of the official security apparatus, the council has decided on the following: First, the confrontation and confrontation of the military attacks carried out by the warplanes and the aircraft that target the headquarters and the official security formations of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation and the rest of our armed forces by all possible means according to the principle of the right of self-defence.”

The transcription shows that there was no mention of any declaration of war against any country.

A reverse image search was subsequently conducted to trace the full video and yielded a YouTube video shared by Al Jazeera  Mubasher on March 25, 2026, with the following title: “Spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces: We have decided to confront th…”

The spokesperson condemned violations of Iraq’s sovereignty, outlining defensive measures and emphasising that the authority to declare war rested solely with the state.

A review of the complete footage showed no mention of any declaration of war against the US or Israel. Instead, the remarks centred on responding to attacks within the framework of self-defence, pursuing legal and diplomatic channels, and maintaining Iraq’s stated policy of avoiding involvement in broader regional conflicts.

Multiple mainstream media outlets such as Al Jazeera English, Al Arabiya English, and Iraqi News reported on the press brief in the same context, while none mentioned any Iraqi declaration of war against the US or Israel.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows an Iraqi official announcing a declaration of war against the US or Israel is false.

No war was announced by the Iraqi official.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

March 25, 2026, Al Jazeera Mubasher YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzpQo6OxkK4

March 24, 2026, Al Jazeera English news article:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/iraq-to-summon-us-iranian-envoys-over-deadly-attacks-pms-office

March 24, 2026, Al Arabiya English news article:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/03/24/iraq-to-summon-us-charge-d-affairs-iranian-envoy-over-strikes-

March 24, 2026, Iraqi News article:
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-authorizes-pmf-and-armed-forces-to-respond-to-attacks/