Social media accounts posted a video of a massive explosion, claiming it was a recent attack on Iran’s Fordow reactor. The caption read: “Breaking: A clip shows the moment Iran’s Fordow reactor was hit from another angle by a US B2 bomber.”
Kashif verified the video via Google Images search and found it to be old and falsely linked to the targeting of Iran’s Fordow reactor. The video was first circulated in September 2024, claiming it depicted an explosion in the Russian city of Torpedo.
Fox News published the video on its website as part of a report published on 18 September 2024, with the following title: “Ukrainian drone strike on Russia causes an earthquake-sized explosion detected from space.”
In its description of the video, it said that it depicted a “Ukrainian drone strike targeting a weapons depot in the Tver region of Russia, causing a massive explosion that was detected by NASA satellites.”
It added that Ukrainian authorities had not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but sources in the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) confirmed the attack to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, while military bloggers and local officials said that Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Tver region of Russia, where a well-known military depot is located.
BNO News published the video on its X account on the same date, 18 September 2024, with the following description: “Several drones struck a military site in the city of Toropets, Russia, causing a massive explosion. Nearby residents are being evacuated.”
In a report published by BBC on 19 September 2024, which included a clip from the circulating video, it explained in its description that it showed “smoke and fires rising following a Ukrainian drone attack in the city of Toropets in the Tver region, Russia.”
The report indicated that thirteen people were injured in Russia’s Tver region after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack, which caused a fire, according to the Russian Ministry of Health. It explained that unverified footage circulated by media sources was said to show a massive explosion in the town of Toropets. Videos on social media also showed explosions and thick smoke covering a wide area of the sky.
US President Donald Trump announced on 22 June 2025, that the United States had launched a “very successful” attack targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran, including the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites. He indicated that a full load of bombs had been dropped on the main site at Fordow and that the operation was complete.
In contrast, Tehran strongly condemned the US airstrikes targeting three nuclear facilities on its territory, warning of “grave consequences” and maintaining “all options” for response.
| Sources of Claim | Sources of Verification |
| Free Iran Joker ☆Baghdad Mansoura☆ Saif Balaid Kamal Diaa Al-Samarrai Mosallam Alkuwatli | Fox News BNO News BBC Al Jazeera Mubasher (1) Al Jazeera Mubasher (2) |