#FactCheck-Viral Image of ‘New Iranian Banknote’ Featuring Khamenei Is Misleading; Likely AI-Generated
Executive Summary
An image of a banknote featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is going viral on social media, with claims that Iran’s central bank has issued a newly designed 5 million rial note bearing his portrait. However, a fact-check by the CyberPeace Research Wing has found the claim to be misleading.
Claim
The image was shared by a verified user, “Sprinter Press Agency,” on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the Central Bank had introduced a new banknote design featuring the leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, relevant keywords were searched across multiple credible sources. No reports were found from any reputable international media outlet, Iranian government platform, or the Central Bank of Iran confirming the release of such a banknote. A technical analysis of the viral image was also conducted. According to the AI detection tool Zhuque AI Detection Assistant, there is a 63.8% probability that the image is AI-generated, raising further doubts about its authenticity.
Conclusion:
The claim that Iran’s central bank has issued a new 5 million rial banknote featuring Ayatollah Khamenei is misleading. There is no official confirmation of such a release, and available evidence suggests that the viral image is either edited or AI-generated.
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Introduction
In today’s digital era, warfare is being redefined. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently stated that “we are in the age of Grey Zone and hybrid warfare where cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and economic warfare have become tools to achieve politico-military aims without a single shot being fired.” The crippling cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007, Russia’s interference in the 2016 US elections, and the ransomware strike on the Colonial Pipeline in the United States in 2021 all demonstrate how states are now using cyberspace to achieve strategic goals while carefully circumventing the threshold of open war.
Legal Complexities: Attribution, Response, and Accountability
Grey zone warfare challenges the traditional notions of security and international conventions on peace due to inherent challenges such as :
- Attribution
The first challenge in cyber warfare is determining who is responsible. Threat actors hide behind rented botnets, fake IP addresses, and servers scattered across the globe. Investigators can follow digital trails, but those trails often point to machines, not people. That makes attribution more of an educated guess than a certainty. A wrong guess could lead to misattribution of blame, which could beget a diplomatic crisis, or worse, a military one. - Proportional Response
Even if attribution is clear, designing a response can be a challenge. International law does give room for countermeasures if they are both ‘necessary’ and ‘proportionate’. But defining these qualifiers can be a long-drawn, contested process. Effectively, governments employ softer measures such as protests or sanctions, tighten their cyber defences or, in extreme cases, strike back digitally. - Accountability
States can be held responsible for waging cyber attacks under the UN’s Draft Articles on State Responsibility. But these are non-binding and enforcement depends on collective pressure, which can be slow and inconsistent. In cyberspace, accountability often ends up being more symbolic than real, leaving plenty of room for repeat offences.
International and Indian Legal Frameworks
Cyber law is a step behind cyber warfare since existing international frameworks are often inadequate. For example, the Tallinn Manual 2.0, the closest thing we have to a rulebook for cyber conflict, is just a set of guidelines. It says that if a cyber operation can be tied to a state, even through hired hackers or proxies, then that state can be held responsible. But attribution is a major challenge. Similarly, the United Nations has tried to build order through its Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) that promotes norms like “don’t attack. However, these norms are not binding, effectively leaving practice to diplomacy and trust.
India is susceptible to routine attacks from hostile actors, but does not yet have a dedicated cyber warfare law. While Section 66F of the IT ACT, 2000, talks about cyber terrorism, and Section 75 lets Indian courts examine crimes committed abroad if they impact India, grey-zone tactics like fake news campaigns, election meddling, and influence operations fall into a legal vacuum.
Way Forward
- Strengthen International Cooperation
Frameworks like the Tallinn Manual 2.0 can form the basis for future treaties. Bilateral and multilateral agreements between countries are essential to ensure accountability and cooperation in tackling grey zone activities. - Develop Grey Zone Legislation
India currently relies on the IT Act, 2000, but this law needs expansion to specifically cover grey zone tactics such as election interference, propaganda, and large-scale disinformation campaigns. - Establish Active Monitoring Systems
India must create robust early detection systems to identify grey zone operations in cyberspace. Agencies can coordinate with social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and YouTube, which are often exploited for propaganda and disinformation, to improve monitoring frameworks. - Dedicated Theatre Commands for Cyber Operations
Along with the existing Defence Cyber Agency, India should consider specialised theatre commands for grey zone and cyber warfare. This would optimise resources, enhance coordination, and ensure unified command in dealing with hybrid threats.
Conclusion
Grey zone warfare in cyberspace is no longer an optional tactic used by threat actors but a routine activity. India lacks the early detection systems, robust infrastructure, and strong cyber laws to counter grey-zone warfare. To counter this, India needs sharper attribution tools for early detection and must actively push for stronger international rules in this global landscape. More importantly, instead of merely blaming without clear plans, India should focus on preparing for solid retaliation strategies. By doing so, India can also learn to use cyberspace strategically to achieve politico-military aims without firing a single shot.
References
- Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations (Michael N. Schmitt)
- UN Document on International Law in Cyberspace (UN Digital Library)
- NATO Cyber Defence Policy
- Texas Law Review: State Responsibility and Attribution of Cyber Intrusions
- Deccan Herald: Defence Minister on Grey Zone Warfare
- VisionIAS: Grey Zone Warfare
- Sachin Tiwari, The Reality of Cyber Operations in the Grey Zone
Executive Summary
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is on an official visit to India. During the visit, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, a video of his speech is going viral on social media. In his speech, Bart De Wever can be heard saying to PM Modi, “Chocolate is excellent for diplomacy, but not for diplomatic travel.” The video is being shared with the claim that Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy by referring to “chocolate diplomacy.” A research done by the CyberPeace Research Wing found that Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever had brought an unusual and thoughtful gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was a miniature replica of Delhi’s iconic India Gate, made entirely from Belgian chocolate. However, the chocolate replica melted during the journey to India. Referring to the incident, Bart De Wever made the remark in a humorous manner, saying that the chocolate gift could not withstand the journey. The video is now being shared by users with a misleading claim.
Claim:
X user Jyoti Verma wrote, “Belgium is a small country, smaller than the city of Mumbai, yet its Prime Minister is taking a jibe at Modi by saying that ‘chocolate is a very good thing for diplomacy.’ Modi has brought the level of Indian diplomacy down so much that even the leader of a small country does not hesitate to mock and belittle him. How much more humiliation does Modi want India to face because of his weak leadership? In my view, he has turned Indian citizens into ‘third-class’ citizens in the eyes of the world. There are also reports that discrimination and bias against Indian citizens are increasing in other countries.”
https://x.com/Jotti__Vr/status/2096154750425424086?s=20
Fact Check
During the research of the claim, a search using relevant keywords led us to the full video of the Belgian Prime Minister posted on ANI’s official X handle. In the video, Bart De Wever can be seen mentioning the chocolate replica of India Gate during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
https://x.com/ANI/status/2095426762243281060?s=20
As part of the research, we found a report published on the Times of India website on September 4, 2026. According to the report, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in India carrying a unique and special gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was a miniature replica of Delhi’s iconic India Gate, made entirely of Belgian chocolate. However, there was one problem—the chocolate replica melted during the journey to India. During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on September 3, De Wever shared the anecdote in a light-hearted manner. He said he had planned to gift Modi a replica of India Gate made from “the finest Belgian chocolate.” However, unlike the real India Gate, which has stood for nearly a century, the chocolate replica did not survive the journey intact. De Wever jokingly remarked, “Chocolate is great for diplomacy, but not for diplomatic travel.”
Conclusion:
Our research found that the viral claim is misleading. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever did indeed bring a miniature replica of India Gate made entirely of Belgian chocolate as a gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the claim that the replica “melted during the journey” needs context. De Wever mentioned the incident humorously during his joint press conference with PM Modi, explaining that the chocolate replica did not survive the journey intact. Therefore, the viral post is based on a genuine incident but may present the context in a misleading manner.
Executive Summary
A video is being shared on social media with the claim that an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet crashed while landing due to the pilot’s negligence. The claim further alleges that no casualties were reported in the incident and that the IAF is concealing the incident because it is losing fighter jets at a high rate. The video is being widely shared on social media.
CyberPeace Research found the claim to be false. Our Research revealed that the video is not footage of an actual IAF MiG-29 crash, but gameplay footage from the video game War Thunder, which is being shared with a false and misleading claim.
Claim:
An Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashed while landing, with pilot error being blamed for the incident. The post further claims that the IAF is trying to conceal the incident.
https://x.com/sheikh__khirad/status/2100447634599342114?s=20
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. However, we did not find any credible media report supporting the claim. We also checked the official X account of the Indian Army, but found no post confirming the claim.
https://x.com/adgpi
As part of our further research, we conducted a reverse image search of keyframes from the video. During the search, we found a YouTube channel where similar visuals had been uploaded.
We found that the channel regularly posts gaming-related content. At the end of our research, we found the original version of the viral video on the YouTube channel. It was published on July 13, 2026. The video description also clearly states that the footage is gaming content and not a real-life incident.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dVu0eMztePo
Conclusion
Our research found that the video being shared with the claim that an IAF MiG-29 fighter jet crashed during landing does not depict a real incident. The video is actually gameplay footage from the video game War Thunder.Therefore, gaming footage is being falsely presented on social media as footage of an Indian Air Force MiG-29 crashing during landing. The incident shown in the video is not real.
