Donald Trump publicly urged Iran to overturn death sentences for eight women, citing a photo collage that experts say was AI-modified while the individuals depicted are real.
Trump cited a manipulated image in his appeal to Iranian authorities
Trump posted on Truth Social the night before his public appeal, sharing a screenshot that included a collage of eight backlit, soft-focus portraits of women he claimed faced imminent execution. The image was immediately questioned online as likely AI-generated, with one viral post calling it “the funniest thing I’ve ever seen” that Trump was defending “AI-generated women.”
Iranian state media denied the executions were imminent or accurate
Mizan, Iran’s state news agency, responded by calling Trump’s claim false, stating some of the women had already been released and others were serving prison sentences but not facing execution. The agency said Tehran had made no concessions and that the status of the women had not changed following Trump’s statement.
Verified identities show most women were protesters, not all sentenced to death
Mahsa Alimardani of WITNESS confirmed the collage was at least AI-modified but identified six of the women as real: Bita Hemmati, Mahboubeh Shabani, Venus Hossein-Nejad, Golnaz Naraghi, Diana Taherabadi, and Ghazal Ghalandri. Hemmati is confirmed to have received a death sentence for alleged actions against U.S. Interests; the others participated in January protests but are not reported to have received death sentences. The identities of the remaining two women, said to be Panah Movahedi and Ensieh Nejati, remain unverified.
The same Iranian-linked account spread disinformation in other cases
The X account for the Iranian embassy in South Africa, known for frequent disinformation, mocked Trump’s claim by generating its own collage of eight women. This account previously drew criticism when South Korean President Lee Jae-myung shared a misleading video it posted, and Israeli officials have labeled it a well-known source of false information.
Were the women in Trump’s post actually facing execution?
According to Iranian state media, no — some had been released, others were in prison but not under death sentence, and Trump’s claim did not reflect their actual legal status.
How many of the women have confirmed identities and legal outcomes?
Six women have been identified by name; only Bita Hemmati is confirmed to have received a death sentence, while the others participated in protests but are not reported to have been sentenced to death. The identities of the other two remain unverified.
