On June 13, 2025, Israel initiated attacks on numerous targets across Iran, carrying out Operation Rising Lion with the intent of hindering Iran’s nuclear weapons development. This operation resulted in significant damage to crucial nuclear facilities and military sites while also taking the lives of several top Iranian military leaders. Following this, Iran retaliated with a series of ballistic missiles and drone strikes against Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise 3.
In the backdrop of these escalating tensions, the United States, on June 22, 2025, executed attacks on three nuclear sites within Iran under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer. Utilizing seven B-2 bombers and submarine-launched missiles, the U.S. targeted key nuclear locations at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The U.S. characterized these strikes as pre-emptive moves aimed at reducing Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Amid this conflict, a video emerged on social media claiming to showcase American protests against these U.S. attacks on Iran. However, a detailed fact-check of this claim revealed that the video in question does not depict protests against U.S. actions in Iran. Instead, it originates from the ‘No Kings’ protest that took place in San Diego on June 14, 2025, in opposition to President Donald Trump’s Army Day parade and a variety of policies from his administration.
While demonstrations were indeed held throughout the U.S. and other countries protesting the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the viral video is not linked to those protests. This misinformation was rectified after a thorough analysis of the video through a Google reverse image search, which identified a related Instagram post shared on June 15, 2025. This post confirmed that the video was captured during the ‘No Kings’ protest, with around 80,000 attendees voicing their dissent against President Trump and his administration.
To further substantiate this information, an additional keyword search yielded multiple news reports regarding the ‘No Kings’ protests occurring on June 14. These protests were a collective effort by activist groups, including Indivisible and the 50501 movement, aiming to challenge perceived authoritarianism within the Trump administration. These sentiments were further fueled by the administration’s handling of prior peaceful protests in Los Angeles, culminating in widespread protests across the nation.
Reports indicated that large-scale protests erupted not only in San Diego but in various other American cities on the same date. Several media outlets also broadcast visuals from these protests highlighting scenes congruent with those in the viral video.
However, as noted earlier, various media organizations have reported that protests did indeed occur in multiple nations, including the United States, in direct response to the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. This dual narrative emphasizes the complexity of public sentiment surrounding the actions taken in the Middle East.
In conclusion, while the recent escalations in U.S.-Iran tensions continue to evoke strong reactions across the globe, the protest video circulating on social media misrepresents the situation. It is crucial for viewers and consumers of news to critically assess the context of viral content in order to foster a more informed public discourse on such consequential matters.
image source from：factly
