Sahar Emami, an anchor for Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, went viral for being on air as a bomb struck the building where she was broadcasting, then returning to the air after the strike. Then an X account in Emami’s name and with a blue check mark asked people to follow her for an on-the-ground perspective.
“If you haven’t followed me yet, do it now for real ground realities and the latest updates,” the account with the handle “iamSaharEmami” posted June 19.
That post gained 3 million views, and the account now has more than 190,000 followers.
But it isn’t her real account.
Israel bombed IRIB during the Israel-Iran war that began June 13. Many of the account’s 2,003 posts — most, if not all, of which were posted since June 17 — contained misleading information, including out-of-context videos and content generated by artificial intelligence.
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Now, the account’s bio says it is “not affiliated with Sahar Emami.” But in a June 19 postthe account insisted, “Let me confirm — this is my original and real account.”
“May Allah bless you Sahar Emami! Stay strong like a Lioness!” one reply read.
X allows ‘commentary accounts’ to share information
Profile of the commentary account iamSaharEmami, screengrabbed July 1, 2025. (X)
Many X users have asked for the account to be suspended. But it has the tag labeling it as a “commentary account,” which means it is allowed under the platform’s impersonation guidelines to “discuss, satirize or share information.”
The guidelines don’t address impersonators that share false or misleading information. X addresses misinformation on its platform through Community Notesto which users can contribute. While some “iamSaharEmami” account posts have Community Notes, others don’t include any indication that the posts contain false information or were posted by an impersonator.
The account’s information said it was created in October 2023, but PolitiFact found no posts before June 17, which is the day after the IRIB building was bombed. There is no information on the account’s owner.
Account posts fake footage claiming to promote pro-Iran messages
While the account promised to post “ground realities and latest updates” from Iran, it often posted misrepresented media instead:
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After a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck Iran on June 20, it posted an old, out-of-context photo.
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A June 18 post in Urdu includes a video of people who appear to build a missile. A Grok translation of the caption reads, “Iran is displaying its strength, but those who talk nonsense will also be dealt with strictly.” But that video is likely AI-generated. At one point in the video, a person’s arm elongates unnaturally.
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On June 20it posted a video of lightning hitting a plume of smoke and fire, captioning it with “Israel.” That video is AI-generated.
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“This is just the devastation from one single Iranian missile,” the account said, posting a video of obliterated buildings. That video was also AI-generated. In the background, some cars seem to merge into each other and blur as they pass by.
The account made posts on events outside of the Iran-Israel war, too. It weighed in on Zohran Mamdani’s lead in the New York City mayoral race: “A historic moment — the people chose justice over lobbyists, faith over fear, and courage over colonialism.” And on multiple occasions, it posted conspiratorial sentiments about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In a June 22 postthe account said Indian airspace was used for the June 21 U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. This quickly met pushback, including a community note. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine presented a timeline and map that showed the bombers crossed the North Atlantic Ocean and did not cross Indian airspace.
In a follow-up postthe account said, “Indian military bases were not used. In my earlier tweet, I quoted Pakistani media reports — which turned out to be incorrect. Apologies for the confusion. I always verify from multiple sources, but in fast-breaking situations, things can slip.”
“Sahar much love. You are my background in my phone. Please never apologise. Thank you for everything you do,” one reply under the apology post read.
The original post remains.
