CLAIM

Viral video of Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson praising Pakistan for unwavering support amid recent political unrest

RATING JUSTIFICATION

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the original source of the video and conducted a forensic analysis to authenticate the clip.

Multiple pro-military accounts on social media platforms X and Facebook shared a clip on January 19, 2025, allegedly showing Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei praising Pakistan for condemning external meddlings in the country amid the crisis in Tehran. However, the video is dubbed over with AI-generated audio.

Iran was rocked by protests this month that kicked off with a shopkeeper’s strike in Tehran on December 28, 2025. The demonstrations were the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

HOW IT STARTED

On Jan 19, an X account, that appears to be pro-military based upon its past posts, shared a video with the following caption: “Iran’s FM spokesperson noted Pakistan’s support during Zionist attacks and foreign-backed unrest, while some regional partners, including India, remained silent. The message was clear, Iran remembers who stood by them and who chose not to.”

The post gained 83,000 views.

Another pro-military account shared the same video with a similar caption on X, gaining more than 72,000 views.

The same video was also shared by another pro-military account on X with the following caption: “Iran remembers. Our brotherly neighbour, Pakistan, stood with us consistently. - Iran’s Foreign Minister”

The video gained 76,000 views.

Other users on X also widely shared the clip, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here.

The same video with a similar claim was shared by a pro-military account on Facebook as well, gaining 57,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in Iran-Pakistan relations.

A keyword search yielded no news reports from any credible media outlets that covered any such recent remarks by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Analysing the video with AI-detection tool Hive Moderation showed that it flagged as being 98.7 per cent AI-generated.

A reverse image search yielded the original full video of Baqaei ’s press conference on Jan 12, 2026, as posted by digital media outlets DRM News and APT News on their YouTube channels. The video was titled: “Live: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi addresses ambassadors in Tehran”

Baqaei can be seen addressing ambassadors in Tehran, discussing Iran’s foreign policy priorities, regional security stance and diplomatic initiatives. He makes no mention of Pakistan in the press conference.

The same press conference was covered by credible media outlets, such as Pars Today, Tesaa World and bne IntelliNews, with none mentioning any such comments about Pakistan as in the viral video.

Furthermore, the press conference was in Persian, whereas the viral video shows Baqaei speaking in English with perfect lip-syncing.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei praising Pakistan for condemning external meddling amid the recent political unrest is false.

The video is doctored and has been dubbed over through AI.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

Jan 12, 2026, APT News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXr02JY_fjI

Jan 12, 2026, DRM News YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvzl4GsdmpA

Jan 13, 2026, Pars Today news article:
https://parstoday.ir/en/news/iran-i241218-baqaei_europeans_misrepresenting_events_in_iran

Jan 12, 2026, bne Intellinews article:
https://www.intellinews.com/update-iran-confirms-active-us-communication-channel-as-trump-claims-talks-underway-419469/?source=iran

Jan 12, 2026, Tesaa World news article:
https://www.tesaaworld.com/en/news/tehran-reveals-details-of-communication-with-washington-diplomatic-messages-despite-escalation