Viral video shows UAE-owned oil tanker struck by Iran

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 and corroborate the claim.

Multiple accounts on X, including those that appear to be pro-Iranian based on past posts, were sharing a video since May 4, 2026, claiming to show an UAE-owned oil ship in flames following an alleged Iranian strike. However, the video is from March 2026.

US and Israeli forces launched the war against Iran on February 28, after which the Islamic republic closed the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for oil and gas exports — while American forces later launched a blockade of Iranian ports.

President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire, but the conflict, and its widespread economic fallout, remains unresolved.

On May 4, the UAE said it was targeted by Iranian strikes, including one on its vital Fujairah energy hub that wounded three Indians. The same day, UAE also accused Tehran of attacking an empty crude oil tanker belonging to the Abu Bhai state oil firm ADNOC with drones as it attempted to pass through the Hormuz Strait. ADNOC’s maritime energy logistics ⁠unit said the Barakah was empty when ​it was attacked by two drones, and no injuries ​were reported.

HOW IT STARTED

On May 4, 2026, an X user, who appears to be pro-Iranian based on their profile picture and past posts, shared a video showing an oil tanker engulfed in flames with the following caption: “Breaking: Iran has blown up the largest UAE-owned oil tanker.”

The post gained 140,000 views.

Another account on X, which shares updates regarding world affairs as per the bio, shared the same video with a similar caption. The post garnered 67,000 views.

An Israel-based account also shared the video in a similar context. “A residential building and an oil tanker were hit by Iranian drones in the UAE,” reads the caption.

The post attracted 77,000 views.

Subsequently, the video and claim were circulated by several other users on X as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating 76,000 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 March 12, 2026, uploaded by ABC News, with the title: “1 dead, 38 rescued after two tankers struck in Iraqi waters.”

In the YouTube video, which features visuals similar to those in the viral clip, two oil tankers can be seen being struck in the port of Umm Qasr near Basra in southern Iraq.

The same incident was also covered by Guardian News, Al Jazeera English, and Sky News Australia on their YouTube channels in March 2026.

Furthermore, a keyword search yielded a report by BBC News dated March 16, 2026, with the headline, “Explosions reported on two foreign vessels in the Gulf, authorities say”.

According to the news report, two foreign fuel tankers in the Gulf were hit by explosions on March 12, 2026. One person was killed, and another 38 people were rescued after the incident near the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, which appeared to be caused by Iranian boats rigged with explosives.

It further said ship tracking websites showed the two tankers suspected of being attacked surrounded by rescue boats.

The search results produced several other reports published by international news outlets, including Sky News Australia and The Guardian, all of which covered the tanker incident in March, 2026.

FACTCHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim that a viral video shows a UAE-owned oil tanker on fire after being struck by Iran is misleading.

The video is from March 2026 when two foregin fuel tankers were hit by explosions near the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

March 12, 2026, ABC News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I6-pxnE4I8

March 12, 2026, Guardian YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4N_tA2q4qo

March 12, 2026, Al Jazeera YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTzdxq0trb0

March 12, 2026, Sky News Australia YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0B-MtdWjNw

March 12, 2026, BBC news report:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5l988qr47o

March 12, 2026, Sky News Australia report:
https://news.sky.com/video/two-oil-tankers-up-in-flames-after-iran-strikes-in-iraqi-waters-13518516

March 12, 2026, The Guardian report:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/mar/12/iranian-boat-attacks-iraqi-waters-fuel-tankers