CLAIM

Coastline on beach at Iran’s Hormuz Island turns bright red after rare rainfall

WHAT HAPPENED

Since June 14, a video has been circulating on social media platform X, claiming to show red soil on Hormuz Island in Iran flowing into the sea and turning the water shades of deep crimson amid heavy rain.

Several users shared the clip, expressing surprise and wonder. One account posted: “Heavy rainfall on Hormuz Island washes iron oxide-rich soil into the sea, turning the coastline blood red.” It garnered over 188,000 views on the video.

A user called the visuals a “scene straight out of a sci-fi movie”, another termed the video an “exceptional scene”, while others called it a “miracle”. The posts gathered hundreds of thousands of views within a couple of hours.

However, the visuals also left social media users confused, with many asking Grok, X’s AI chatbot, if the video was real or AI-generated. Some also questioned if the clip was recent.

WHAT WE FOUND

Firstly, a reverse image search of the clip yielded an Instagram post by Al Jazeera English from December 2025, wherein the same video was shared. “Heavy rains have turned an Iranian beach on Hormuz Island bright red after iron-oxide-rich soil from the area washed into the sea,” the caption reads.

Similar visuals were also shared by other international news outlets on social media around the same time, including CNN, TRT World, DW News, The Independent, and others. However, none of the search results produced any recent local or international reports of such an event taking place in Iran of late.

A keyword search yielded a news report by The Guardian, dated Dec 18, 2025, which stated that the visuals showed the Red Beach at Iran’s Hormuz Island.

According to the article, the beach was specifically known for its “vivid red sand and cliffs”, created by high concentrations of iron oxide. “When rain falls, streams of red soil flow toward the shoreline, colouring the beach and surrounding water and creating a sharp contrast with the blue water of the Persian Gulf.”

“The phenomenon regularly attracts tourists, photographers and social media attention,” the report noted, adding that the red soil was also exported in limited quantities and used in the production of cosmetics.

Delving deeper into the science behind the “Red River Phenomenon” — as it is commonly called — it was found that iron oxide, abundant on Hormuz Island, was a key element in determining the reddish colour of Mars and the rusting of metals on Earth, as per an AccuWeather report.

It explained that when rain mixed with iron oxide in the soil, the water runoff rushes into the ocean and the tide turns red. While rainfall on the island is relatively rare, it happens primarily during winter and early spring.

A separate reverse image search also revealed that a similar event, like the one in December 2025, also took place on Hormuz Island earlier the same year in March, as seen in a TikTok video shared by CBC News.

CONCLUSION

Yes, the Red River Phenomenon on Hormuz Island is real and well-documented.

However, the videos currently circulating online are from December 2025, not a recent event.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

December 2025, Al Jazeera English Instagram post:
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/videos/beach-in-irans-hormuz-island-turns-bright-red-after-rain/1173952847732340/

December 2025, CNN Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/cnninternational/videos/seasonal-rainfall-on-irans-hormuz-island-washes-iron-rich-soil-from-its-famous-r/25461569546827519/

December 2025, TRT World Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/trtworld/videos/heavy-rainfall-at-hormuz-island-in-southern-iran-drew-widespread-attention-on-de/872867185099383/

December 2025, DW News TikTok video:*
https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews/video/7585515328487116064

December 2025, The Independent Instagram video:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSdWbt_CT4E/?hl=en

December 2025, The Guardian news report:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/18/rainfall-iran-hormuz-island-red-beach

December 2025, AccuWeather report:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/why-this-iranian-island-looks-like-mars-after-it-rains/1845005

March 2025, CBC News TikTok video:
https://www.tiktok.com/@cbcnews/video/7483622137153064247

Header image from Gulf News

This article is part of an iVerify initiative tackling myths and disinformation around climate, supported by Irada and IMS