A video is going viral on social media showing a crowd burning the American, Israeli, and Indian national flags. Users sharing the video claim that the incident took place in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
Sharing the video, a user named Dhruvaa wrote in English: “Why are the Iranian people burning the Indian flag along with the Israeli and American flags? It is true that Jaishankar has ruined India’s foreign policy, and this is the result of his failure. The world is hating us because of the BJP.”
Another user, Raj (Jai Bhagwa), shared the video with the caption: “India’s biggest enemy is burning our flag… and guess who is sitting silently? @Iran_in_India @IraninHyderabad. Iran is not our friend. Their hatred towards India is clearly visible. Our tricolour is being burnt in Iran—wake up!”
Additionally, several other users have also shared this video linking it to Iran, which can be seen here, here, here, and here.
Fact Check :
The DFRAC investigation found that the viral video showing the Indian flag being burnt alongside the US and Israeli flags is not from Iran. The video was actually recorded in Karachi, Pakistan. To verify the claim, the DFRAC team extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. This led us to an Instagram post in which the video’s description identified the location as Numaish, Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road, Karachi.
The caption accompanying the video states: “Images from Karachi, Pakistan, show Indian flags being burnt along with American and Israeli flags during protests held in support of Iran. This was a clear anti-India, anti-US, and anti-Israel message. It also reveals a strange contradiction: anti-American slogans were being raised on the streets while the Pakistani leadership maintains strong ties with the US. Once again, the gap between slogans and reality is clearly visible.”
Upon closely examining the viral video, we also noticed a banner with text written in Urdu. Its English translation reads “Imamia Students Organization Karachi,” further confirming that the video was filmed in Karachi, Pakistan.
Additionally, a building visible in the video helped us verify the location. Using Google Maps, we identified it as the Mid Town building located on Numaish, Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road, Karachi, matching the visuals seen in the viral clip.
For further verification, our team contacted Hasan Zaidi, an Iranian freelance journalist who has worked with several media organisations. He confirmed that the video is not from Iran and that no incident involving the burning of the Indian flag had taken place in any Iranian city. He also noted that the video appears to be from Pakistan, as many people in the footage are wearing traditional salwar-kameez. We also contacted journalists Akif Zaidi and Zamir Abbas Jafri, who independently confirmed that no such incident occurred in Iran and that the viral video is from Karachi, Pakistan.
Conclusion :
DFRAC’s investigation clearly establishes that the viral video showing the Indian tricolour being burnt is not from Iran, as claimed on social media. The footage was recorded in Karachi, Pakistan during a protest. Therefore, the claim that the incident took place in Iran is misleading.
