CLAIM

Viral video of US ship in Iranian custody amid the current war

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 a keyword search to trace the original source.

Multiple people and accounts were sharing a video since March 23, 2026, on social media platform X, claiming that it shows a United States ship seized by Iran amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Tehran. However, the clip shows a British tanker being seized by Iranian forces back in July 2019.

The ongoing tensions between the United States, 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.

Iran also launched attacks on US shipping vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 23, a local digital media outlet shared a video on X of a ship with the following caption: “Breaking: Reports circulate that an American tanker, which attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz, is now in the custody of Iran.”

The post gained 802,900 views.

A pro-Iranian account also shared the same clip with the following caption: “Urgent: An American oil tanker violated the Iranian ban on passing through the Strait of Hormuz, so it was intercepted by Iranian warships and escorted to the ship detention area.”

The post accumulated 894,800 views.

Another account posted the same clip with a similar caption, gaining 236,000 views.

Subsequently, other X users also shared the same claim, as seen here, here, here, here, here and here; collectively garnering over 468,000 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 reverse image search conducted to trace the origin of the viral video yielded a YouTube video dated July 20, 2019, uploaded by BBC News.

The video, titled “The moment Iranian forces board British tanker,” contains visuals identical to those in the viral clip.

BBC News also published a report on the same date with the headline, “Iran seizes British tanker in Strait of Hormuz”.

According to the 2019 report, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker carrying 25 personnel in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard-affiliated news agency claimed the tanker was seized for breaking three regulations: shutting down its GPS, going through the exit of the Strait of Hormuz rather than the entrance and ignoring warnings.

It further said there were no reported injuries, and the safety of the crew was the priority of the tanker’s owners and managers.

A keyword search further yielded multiple reports from international news outlets, including Al Jazeera, CNN and NBC News, all of which covered the British tanker incident in 2019.

Meanwhile, a keyword search was conducted to check whether any mainstream international, US or Iranian media outlet had reported on any such incident amid the current war, but yielded no results.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a viral video shows a US ship in Iranian custody amid the current war between the two countries is misleading.

The video is from July 2019 and shows a British tanker being seized by Iranian forces.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

July 20, 2019, BBC News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUc_8tE4wz0

July 20, 2019, BBC news report:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49053383

July 20, 2019, Al Jazeera news report:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/20/iran-releases-video-showing-capture-of-british-oil-tanker

July 21, 2019, CNN news report:
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/21/middleeast/audio-recording-british-tanker-seized-iran-intl

July 19, 2019, NBC news report:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/british-oil-tanker-seized-iranian-forces-being-guided-strait-hormuz-n1031866