Images and videos circulated in recent days claiming that hundreds of iPhones were floating in the Strait of Hormuz have been identified as fake by reputable media outlets. The images emerged after the sinking of a container ship linked to the UAE, and many were generated using artificial intelligence.

BBC Verify reported that some of the fabricated images were created using genuine footage of the damaged vessel. However, verified videos of the incident show thick smoke rising from the ship, while satellite images published by Reuters confirm that containers and part of the vessel’s cargo were scattered in the water.

The incident involved the sinking of the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged container ship operated by UAE-based GFS Ship Management.

According to Reuters, the vessel was damaged and caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, October 13. Its sinking was confirmed on Wednesday, and all 21 crew members were safely evacuated before the ship went down.

Iranian state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that the vessel struck a naval mine while travelling along an “unauthorised” route and was carrying more than 2,500 containers. However, neither the exact cause of the incident nor the number of containers on board at the time of the sinking has been independently verified, and no official cargo manifest has been released.

Meanwhile, fact-checking website Factnameh said many of the images and videos showing iPhones being retrieved were generated using artificial intelligence. The phones’ unnatural movement on the water, unusually shaped boxes, distorted writing and motionless people aboard moving boats are among the signs that the footage was fabricated.

Al Jazeera also reported in an independent investigation that some widely viewed videos showing the recovery of iPhones and expensive perfumes originated from an Instagram account called Nativora, which describes itself as a creator of fictional stories and imagery using artificial intelligence.

According to Al Jazeera, some of the images were inspired by genuine footage of the incident and contain telltale signs such as illegible writing on phone boxes and products with unrealistic shapes.

The ship’s sinking and the dispersal of its containers and cargo in the water are genuine. However, the widely circulated images showing hundreds of iPhones floating or being retrieved are fabricated. No credible evidence has so far been published to indicate that the vessel was carrying a shipment of iPhones.