Trump shares report of U.S. strikes on Iranian airbase in Iranshahr
Trump reposted an open-source intelligence account's claim that local officials confirmed American military strikes hit an IRGC-linked airport in southeastern Iran.
WHITE HOUSE — Donald Trump shared a report that U.S. military strikes targeted Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran by mentioning the source (see truthsocial) on a Truth Social post on July 8, 2026 at 7:16 PM EST.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “OSINTdefender @sentdefender Local officials have now confirmed that U.S. strikes indeed targeted Iranshahr Airport/Airbase in the Southeastern Iranian city of Iranshahr, which is partially utilized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC-AF). 10:48 PM Jul 8, 2026 115.8K Views”
Trump’s post consisted of a screenshot from the X account OSINTdefender, which operates under the handle @sentdefender. The screenshot showed an image of a large nighttime explosion with a fireball and rising smoke plume visible above rooftops, utility poles, and what appeared to be palm trees in an urban area. The post claimed local officials had confirmed U.S. strikes on the Iranshahr Airport and Airbase, a facility the account said is partially used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force.
The claim, if verified, would represent a direct U.S. military strike on Iranian sovereign territory and mark a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. The image’s origin, authenticity, and precise location could not be independently verified from the screenshot alone. No official statement from the U.S. Department of Defense or the Iranian government was included in Trump’s post.
OSINTdefender is an anonymously operated open-source intelligence monitor that has amassed over 800,000 followers on X and received endorsements from Elon Musk for its real-time conflict coverage (see grokipedia.com). The account, reportedly run by a U.S. military veteran named Simon Anderson, rose to prominence through rapid dissemination of imagery and analysis of military developments during the Russo-Ukrainian War before expanding coverage to the Middle East and other global hotspots (see grokipedia.com).
President Donald J. Trump shared a screenshot of a social media post reporting U.S.
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The account has drawn scrutiny for its editorial practices. Ukrainian OSINT experts at Molfar identified the operator and documented instances in which the account amplified Kremlin narratives or published unverified claims (see insightnews.media). Critics have characterized @sentdefender as having a track record of posting misinformation and lacking source citations in its reporting (see grokipedia.com). The account has nonetheless remained a widely cited source among journalists and analysts covering geopolitical conflicts.
Iranshahr is a city in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, a remote southeastern region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. The airport there serves both civilian and military functions, with portions of the facility used by the IRGC Aerospace Force, the branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responsible for missile and drone operations.
In the last 30 days, 81 of 541 Trump posts on Truth Social addressed the topic of foreign policy, reflecting the president’s sustained focus on international affairs during a period of heightened tensions with Iran.
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 8, 2026 at 7:23 PM EST
Source: Zenger analysis real-time database of all Truth Social posts
Note: Table generated on July 8, 2026 at 7:23 PM EST