Photo From Iraq Falsely Shared as US' Attack on Iran’s Desalination Plant

The photo shows a site from Basra, Iraq.

Social media users and news organisations shared a photo from Iraq to falsely claim that it shows a destroyed desalination plant in Iran.

(Source: X/Altered by The Quint)

A photo showing what appears to be a destroyed facility is being widely shared, claiming that it shows the aftermath of a US attack on a water desalination plant in Iran's Qeshm Island.

Who shared this photo?: Along with other social media users, the image was shared by Supreme Court lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha, news organisations The Times of India, Times Now, Zee News, and The Tribune.

(Swipe to view.)

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Source: The Times of India/Screenshot)

(Source: Times Now/Screenshot)

(Source: Zee News/Screenshot)

(Source: The Tribune/Screenshot)

Is it true?: While Iran's foreign minister has accused the US of destroying its desalination plant, this image is not from Qeshm Island.

• The photo originally shows a US-based firm's warehouses, which were attacked by drones, in Basra, Iraq.

How did we find out the truth?: Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced on his X account that the desalination plant in Qeshm had been destroyed on 7 March 2026.

• We then ran a reverse image search on the viral photo, which led us to a post by The Business Standard, sharing the same photo.

• Their post's caption mentioned that it showed the aftermath of a "drone attack in Basra, Iraq" on 7 March 2026, crediting the image to Reuters.

• We looked for the photo on Reuters' website and found that it had shared different angles of this image with the caption, "A drone view shows damage at a compound housing offices and warehouses used by U.S. firm Halliburton after a drone attack in Basra, Iraq, March 7, 2026."

• The organisation credited the photo to its journalist Essam al-Sudani.

The photo shows a site in Basra, Iraq.

(Source: Reuters/Screenshot)

• On al-Sudani's Facebook page, we saw the same series of photos shared on 7 March, as ones from Iraq's Basra.

• The photojournalist said that the facility was a "part of a logistics complex supporting oilfield service operations," used by US based companies like Halliburton and KPR.

Conclusion: A photo of a site in Iraq is being shared with the false claim that it shows an Iranian water desalination plant after a US attack.

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