On Saturday, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image showing destroyed Iranian warships as his administration awaited Tehran's response to a proposed peace plan.
Trump posted the composite image on Truth Social, which shows "159 Iranian ships" in two contrasting panels. The first depicts vessels flying Iranian flags labeled "Obama/Biden." In contrast, the second shows the same fleet destroyed and resting on the ocean floor under the word "Trump," suggesting a comparison of presidential approaches to Iran.
Late Tuesday, President Trump had temporarily paused "Project Freedom," a U.S. military-backed operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He said it was intended to allow negotiations to continue while a blockade remained in place.
On Thursday, U.S. and Iranian forces had exchanged fire near the strategic waterway, with Iran targeting U.S. warships and American forces responding with strikes on Iranian military sites. Trump downplayed the confrontation, calling it a "love tap," while U.S. Central Command said it was not seeking escalation but remained ready to defend U.S. forces.
Iran had warned of a forceful response to any attack and Iranian state media later reported calm had returned after hours of clashes. Trump said Iranian vessels and attackers had been destroyed and urged Tehran to accept a deal, warning, "We'll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don't get their Deal signed, FAST."
