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Shayan Sardarizadeh

@shayan86.bsky.social
95K followers 1.1K following 478 posts

BBC Verify senior journalist | verification, AI, disinformation, conspiracy theories, open source investigations | shayan.sardarizadeh@bbc.co.uk

PostsRepliesMedia
Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
An AI-enhanced version of a grainy image that appears to be authentic and shows several men being arrested in relation to the ongoing incident at RAF Fairford is currently being shared on multiple platforms. A SynthID check reveals that the enhanced image was generated with OpenAI.
AI-enhanced version of an authentic image showing arrests at RAF Fairford
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
There's a social media scam featuring AI-generated injured soldiers shilling moody goods. Be on the lookout. Great story from Nick Stapleton for BBC Morning Live. AI detection and sense-checking from me and @shayan86.bsky.social
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The official social media accounts of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei have for the second time since March published an image of him that appears to have been manipulated with Google AI. He has not been seen in public since being appointed Iran's head of state in March.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thread: Two different versions of this AI-generated image purporting to show President Trump and his assistant Natalie Harp kissing went viral this week, generating millions of views across multiple platforms. Despite being fake, this wasn't a straightforward AI image to debunk. I'll explain why.
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
How close were Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and many European security advisors to at least two Russian drone strikes on Sunday? Lots of geo work, down to Polish train timetables and timing sight:sound difference of an explosion. With @shayan86.bsky.social, edited by @olgar.bsky.social.
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Jake Godin @godin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Additional geolocation using @planet.com SkySat imagery from July related the piece below: CCTV footage showed the strikes in Kuhestak, Iran as they happened. Appears to have been filmed near the town's destroyed police station. Map link: www.google.com/maps/place/2... TG link: t.me/Pelenya/31384
annotated satellite image over Kuhestak, Iran captured on july 13 2026. three frames from security footage from september 1 showing flashes and explosions in the town are included and annotations show matching features between the satellite image location and the security camera footage to show where it was likely filmed from.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
A huge fire and thick columns of smoke are seen at a major Wildberries warehouse in Koledino, nearly 40km south of the centre of Moscow, following an apparent Ukrainian drone strike this morning. Video: t.me/exilenova_plus/28974 Location: 55.3865168,37.5721367
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Footage shows the moment an apparent Ukrainian drone strikes a major Wildberries warehouse in Koledino, nearly 40km south of the centre of Moscow, this morning. Source: t.me/exilenova_plus/28947 Location: 55.3902692,37.5854328
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Verified videos show a major oil slick washing up on Iran's Qeshm Island, which analysts have said comes from a ship hit by a strike in the Strait of Hormuz. The spill threatens wildlife, protected ecosystems and fishing communities around Qeshm. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
How a major oil slick started washing up on Iran's beaches
Experts tell BBC Verify pollution has spread from a ship attacked on 3 August and threatens vulnerable wildlife.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Some of the content by the latest AI models are frighteningly realisitc, to the point that it's becoming difficult to spot any obvious errors in them even with well-trained eyes. Going forward, digital watermarking seems to be one of the few practical solutions to AI-generated misinformation.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb a suspected underground nuclear site in Iran known as Pickaxe Mountain. The facility is believed to be buried deep inside a mountain and its exact purpose is shrouded in mystery and speculation. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain and why does Trump say he wants to bomb it?
BBC Verify has spoken to experts and analysed satellite imagery to piece together what we know about the site, and the potential impact of a US strike.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Google Earth has launched a new AI tool which allows users to create fake satellite images. A collapsed Eiffel Tower, a sinkhole swallowing the Great Pyramid of Giza and Russian tanks in Kyiv were among the fake images BBC Verify created when testing the feature. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
New Google Earth AI tool could fuel misinformation, experts say
Experts tell BBC Verify Google's new feature which lets people generate fake satellite images could be misused.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
There's no way that this new AI image generation feature in Google Earth, one of the most reliable sources of visual evidence for journalists and researchers, could possibly be abused to spread misinformation online and damage trust in satellite images. Absolutely no cause for concern here at all.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Google Earth, a tool often used as a source of satellite imagery to verify photos and videos, has added a feature that allows you to alter satellite imagery with AI, for reasons. blog.google/products-and...
blog.google
Transform any place with Nano Banana in Google Earth
Custom images — generated from Google Earth satellite, aerial, and 3D imagery — help you redesign any location.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
These two widely shared images claiming to show the IDF restoring a statue of Jesus that was previously damaged by an Israeli soldier near Debl, Lebanon, are AI-generated and fake. A Google SynthID check finds watermarks that suggest both images were made with Google AI.
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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 21/04/2026
The Metropolitan police have arrested 7 people in connection with arson attacks against Jewish targets. Seems like some of them were planning a new attack. Also 8th arrest, someone in connection with Israel embassy drone attack.
news.met.police.uk
Eight arrests made by Counter Terrorism Policing London
Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
This image, which claims to show one of the airmen rescued by US special forces from Iran, has racked up millions of views after being shared by some major influencers, and even by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The image is AI-generated and features multiple errors.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Multiple weapons experts have disputed a US claim that Iran may have been responsible for a deadly strike on the town of Lamerd on the first day of the Iran war, which killed 21 people. Weapons experts say a US PrSM missile was likely used in the strike. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Experts dispute US account of deadly Lamerd sports hall strike in Iran
Six weapons experts have contested the US claim that video evidence suggests an Iranian missile could have hit the hall.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
On the first day of the Iran war, at least two strikes hit a residential block and a sports hall in the town of Lamerd, killing 21 people, including four children. Our investigation reveals the attack was likely a US strike, carried out with new generation Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM).
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
I hope that if there's one thing that this Iran conflict and the explosion of online misinformation about it has laid bare for most people is the significance of content verification and fact-checking in the digital age. AI cannot replace human verification, at least not just yet.
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Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
You can’t actually destroy highly enriched uranium (HEU). Bombing it doesn’t d anything to it.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Footage published by Iranian media today shows damage to Chehel Sotoon, a 17th century, Safavid-era landmark palace and garden located in the historic centre of Isfahan, after air strikes in its vicinity. The Persian garden that surrounds the palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
A newly published video shows that a US Tomahawk missile hit a medical clinic inside an IRGC base and near a primary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab where the authorities said 168 people, including around 110 children, were killed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
US missile hit military base near Iran school, video analysis shows
A US Tomahawk missile hit a military base near a primary school in southern Iran where Iranian authorities said 168 people were killed, expert video analysis shows.
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 08/03/2026
New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an IRGC facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footage also shows smoke already rising from the vicinity of the girls’ school, where 175 people were reportedly killed, including children.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
BBC Verify has analysed verified videos and satellite imagery that show severe damage to a hospital, sporting centres, a UNESCO world heritage site and two schools since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on Saturday, as the number of civilian casualties grows. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Iranian schools, hospital and landmarks among civilian sites hit during US-Israeli strikes
A local in Tehran tell BBC Verify that the city has been turned into a
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
BBC Verify has pieced together verified videos, satellite imagery and expert views after a deadly attack near a primary school in Minab, souther Iran, which suggest the area was hit more than once "by multiple simultaneous or near-simultaneous strikes". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Iran school and nearby military base struck multiple times, satellite image reveals
Iranian authorities say the attack, which took place on Saturday, killed 168 people.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The Iran/US/Israel war might have already broken the record for the highest number of AI-generated videos and images that have gone viral during a conflict. Interestingly, I said the exact same thing right after the 12-day war in June. Welcome to our brave new world of AI misinformation.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
THREAD: Misinformation in the Iran/US/Israel war - 3 March This viral video claims to show the aftermath of a reported drone attack on the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, tonight. But the video was posted last week to TikTok, and shows an unrelated car accident in Riyadh.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ah_y2213/video/7610066316413734151
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Here's the moment a tearful host on Iranian state TV confirms that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli air strikes. The Iranian government has announced 40 days of mourning and a week-long holiday to mark Khamenei's death.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
BREAKING: Iranian state TV has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US air strikes today. A tearful host on state TV's channel one announced the news live on air.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
THREAD: Verified videos of the Iran/US/Israel war - 28 February Smoke rises in the air near Tehran's City Theatre metro station following air strikes by the US and Israel. Location: 35.7011766,51.4054869
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 20/02/2026
A Bellingcat investigation reveals child soldiers in Sudan’s civil war have become viral figures on TikTok. Videos attracting millions of views show the children with senior military officials, celebrating battlefield victories and delivering violent threats. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...
bellingcat.com
Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The ‘Disney Stars’ of Sudan’s Civil War - bellingcat
To stay up to date on our latest investigations, join Bellingcat’s WhatsApp channel here. Child soldiers linked to Sudan’s warring factions have gained viral fame on TikTok, with their videos attracti...
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Anti-government student protests spread to more Iranian universities www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... See the thread quoted below for some how-we-know and how-you-can-too examples.
bbc.co.uk
Iran anti-government student protests spread to more universities
A fresh wave of anti-government protests at several Iranian universities that began on Saturday has spread to more campuses.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
A fresh wave of anti-government protests by students at several Iranian universities has spread to more campuses on Monday. The BBC has verified footage of protests at eight universities in Tehran, as well as universities in Mashhad and Isfahan. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Iran anti-government student protests spread to more universities
A fresh wave of anti-government protests at several Iranian universities that began on Saturday has spread to more campuses.
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
A large part of what BBC Verify and Persian do is support other News output. This weekend has seen a fresh wave of protest in Iran, centred on the universities of Tehran. Working with @paulybrown.bsky.social, @emmapengelly.bsky.social and @shayan86.bsky.social. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Iran students resume anti-government protests
Student protesters honoured thousands of those killed when nationwide mass protests were put down by Iranian authorities last month.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
If you want to get rid of some incriminating documents you don't want anyone to see, the best course of action is to hide them on the top floors of the most famous twin towers in the world and hit them with two hijacked passenger planes.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
This video of JD Vance is AI-generated. It's not real.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
At least 34 children have been infected by a "fast-spreading" measles outbreak in several north London schools in the UK. One in five children who contracted the illness had been admitted to hospital, all of whom "had not been fully immunised". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
North London measles outbreak hits several schools with at least 34 children infected
A number of children have been hospitalised as officials urge families to check they are up to date with their vaccines.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Previously unseen photos showing Jeffrey Epstein’s body lying on a stretcher and being attended to by medics and a close-up of his neck showing visible signs of injuriy in the immediate aftermath of his death have appeared in the newly released Epstein files.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Previously unseen photos showing Jeffrey Epstein's body lying on a stretcher and being attended to by medics in the immediate aftermath of his death have been released as part of a declassified FBI report in the latest batch of the Epstein files. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Details of Jeffrey Epstein post-mortem released in latest files
Twenty new photos released on Friday show Epstein in the immediate aftermath of his death.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 03/02/2026
BERNIE SANDERS: Do vaccines cause autism? BHATTACHARYA: I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism SANDERS: Nah. Uh uh. I didn't ask measles. Do vaccines cause autism? BHATTACHARYA: I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
A number of AI-generated images have been circulating on social media falsely claiming to show a young Zohran Mamdani and his mother posing alongside Jeffrey Epstein. This has led to Alex Jones and others baselessly claiming that the fake images indicate Mamdani might be related to Epstein.
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Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
🚨 New on our site In an interview with @marinaadami.bsky.social journalist @shayan86.bsky.social explains how BBC Verify confirmed hundreds killed in Iran’s protest crackdown despite an internet blackout Click to read reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-bbc...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
How BBC experts confirmed hundreds killed in Iran’s protest crackdown despite an internet blackout
On 8 January, thousands of accounts sharing scenes from the streets of Tehran went dark. After 12 days of escalating anti-regime protests, the regime had cut internet connection, isolating Iranians fr...
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Verified videos emerging from Iran show bodies piled up in a hospital in Tehran following the deadly crackdown on protests. The BBC counted at least 31 bodies in just one video. Another clip shows seven body bags laid on the ground outside the hospital. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
New Iran videos show bodies piled up in hospital and snipers on roofs
Footage from a hospital in Tehran shows at least 31 bodies piled inside and seven body bags outside.
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The Insider @theins.press · 21/01/2026
Kremlin-linked Matryoshka bot network launches campaign on Greenland dispute, claims Zelensky ready to send troops to fight against the U.S. @antibot4navalny.bsky.social notes the new disinfo masks itself as content from @thestudyofwar.bsky.social and @bellingcat.com, among others.
theins.press
Kremlin-linked Matryoshka bot network launches campaign on Greenland dispute, claims Zelensky ready to send troops to fight against the U.S.
The Kremlin-linked online bot network known as “Matryoshka” has launched a disinformation campaign focused on the escalating dispute over Greenland, according to researchers from the Bot Blocker project (@antibot4navalny), which monitors Russian bot activity on social media. The researchers told The Insider that the campaign is aimed at amplifying tensions surrounding the standoff between the U.S. and several of its NATO allies.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Hundreds of photos revealing the faces of those killed during the violent crackdown on protests in Iran have been leaked to BBC Verify. The pictures reveal the bloodied, swollen and bruised faces of at least 326 victims - including 18 women. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Leaked photos show hundreds killed in Iran's brutal crackdown
The images from one mortuary in Tehran were shown to families who went to identify their loved ones.
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Richard Irvine-Brown @richib.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Tehran, Iran. Last weekend we verified all we could from what broke through the regime's internet restrictions. With @shayan86.bsky.social, @benedictgarman.com and Ghoncheh Habibiazad. Which led to major reports and videos from BBC Verify, plus four live page posts. My how-to notes to follow.
A collage of BBC Verify live page headlines from 12 January: Protesters gather in Tehran square during reported blackout, 'Death to Khamenei' chanted at Tehran funeral, Videos from mortuary show how deadly protests have become, One video shows potentially 200 dead at Tehran mortuary. Alongside them are a screengrab from a social media video posted 10 January, showing protests at Punak Square, and two screengrabs from a social media video posted 11 January showing a protest at a funeral parlour in Tehran.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
During a speech in Tehran today, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that "several thousand people were killed" during the recent protests by those he described as "seditionists", confirming for the first time that the death toll from the protests is in the thousands.
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Iran's government has imposed a near total internet shutdown on more than 90 million Iranians since last Thursday, almost entirely cutting them off from the outside world for more than a week. In such an environment, it's become extremely difficult to know what's happening inside Iran.
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Jochen Spangenberg @jospang.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
@shayan86.bsky.social & @merlynthomas.bsky.social (BBC Verify) and Ghoncheh Habibiazad (BBC Persian) have this report from #Iran, documenting some of the atrocities that are being committed. (Additional reporting by Roja Assadi, @richib.bsky.social and Kumar Malhotra). www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Tehran morgue videos show the brutality of Iran's crackdown on protesters
Distressing footage reveals nearly 200 bodies with one victim identified as young as 16.
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