2021 Image Shared as Recent Western Fires in Iran
The Claim
A picture depicts a fire that broke out at a military base in western Iran today, February 14.
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Emerging story
Several websites and social media accounts, particularly on Twitter, recently circulated a picture that they claimed was of a fire that broke on Monday, February 14, at a military base in Kermanshah, western Iran.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and discovered it to be misleading. The image does not depict the recent fire that occurred on February 14, 2022, at a military base in Kermanshah, western Iran. Misbar discovered that the image is out of date, having been published by Middle East Affairs on June 3, 2021. According to the report, the image depicts a fire that broke out at a state-owned oil refinery, Tondgoyan Petrochemical Company, in Tehran, injuring 11 people.
Description: Images of the fire at the oil refinery were published on 3 June 2021.
As seen in the screenshot below, the photo was taken by Waheed Ahmadi for the Tasnim News Agency and used by the French News Agency (AFP) on the evening of June 2, 2021.
Description: Images of the fire at the oil refinery reporting the image was taken on 2 June 2021.
The circulating claim coincides with a fire that broke out this morning, February 14, for unknown reasons, in a warehouse containing engine oils and flammable materials at one of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' support bases in Kermanshah province, western Iran. There were no reported injuries, according to Reuters. While the fire did occur, the image in the claim depicts a fire in an oil refinery in Tehran, Iran, in June 2021; thus, Misbar confirms the claim is false.
Translated by Dina Faisal
