Collection

Fake image of man in Kuwait confronting crashed US fighter pilot spreads after jets shot down

Confusion and rumors have been pervasive online since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran with surprise airstrikes.

by Emery Winter, March 2, 2026


Smoke billowing out from a part of Iran's capital, Tehran, in front of massive snow-covered peaks in the background

Image courtesy of Getty Images


On Feb. 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel hit various locations across Iran with airstrikes, including one that killed the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strikes opened a war between the two nations and Iran.

The attacks that began the war came as a surprise to people in the U.S., including those in Congress. The apparent suddenness of the attack, plus conflicting information from officials in President Donald Trump's administration, prompted many social media users to try to fill in the gaps of information. This led to a flurry of rumors and claims, some of which were false or unproven.

Snopes checked the veracity of many of these claims in the days immediately following the start of the war. As a result, we discovered a claim that the United Nations labeled Trump a war criminal due to the strikes was false. We also dug into a claim that wagers from new accounts on Polymarket were evidence of insider trading from Trump administration officials, and shared what we did and didn't know as a result of our digging.

We've put together a collection of 14 claims regarding the U.S.-Israel war on Iran we've researched so far:


By Emery Winter

Emery Winter is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and previously worked for TEGNA'S VERIFY national fact-checking team. They enjoy sports and video games.

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