Christian the Expat

Over the past 24 hours, two viral tweets have spread false claims about the military strike in Minab, Iran, that killed schoolgirls — a strike whose origin has not yet been independently verified. One is from an account frequently amplified by pro-Israel voices in Israel and The United States. The other is from an account that has somehow amassed thousands of followers in a matter of days. First, the Nioh Berg tweet claims that the regime has admitted that the IRGC mistakenly bombed the school. The regime has admitted no such thing. If you believed this to be true, why have you allowed your critical thinking and common sense to take a vacation when assessing whether this news is accurate or not? Do you think a criminal, brutal, lying regime facing the greatest threat it has ever faced in its 47-year history would be out here admitting that it killed dozens, if not over 100, schoolgirls while the country is filled with resentment and anger toward it? Second, the account she cites as a reputable source is mistakenly believed by people to be an official regime account. It’s not; it is a pro-Pahlavi, anti-regime account. Nioh’s tweet has been shared all over, and her screenshots are being ripped and used by other influencers. The second tweet claims to show that it was an IRGC misfired rocket. As noted in the tweet, that shot is from 1,300 km from the school. Like Nioh’s tweet, the screenshots from this tweet have also been ripped and used by other users who haven’t received the community note this account did. The truth is, it could have been an IRGC misfired rocket or missile. It’s just that the evidence these two users have posted — and which subsequently went viral — is not accurate at all. We know that Israel and the United States were operating in the area. The U.S. says it is investigating the matter, and Israel denies that it bombed the school. Major news organizations have not yet independently verified who is responsible for this. Why does this matter? Especially when I despise this regime? I am defending the integrity of the information that the Iranian people and the world need to make informed decisions in a moment of historic consequence. Khamenei is dead. The regime is in crisis. The choices made in the coming weeks and months will shape Iran for a generation. If those choices are made on the basis of lies, the outcome will be corrupted from the start. You are also handing the regime a gift and you are contributing to the long-term degradation of trust. It is utterly depressing — but not surprising — how many people accepted these two tweets as fact, particularly Nioh’s tweet, and then went on to spread it independently.