Does a video show a double missile strike by Iran on a U.S. ship during hostile action in May 2026? No, that's not true: The clip resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it showed an Iranian strike near Jask Island, but it actually comes from a 2016 live-fire exercise conducted by the U.S. Navy and its allies in the Pacific Ocean. American, South Korean, and Australian forces used the retired frigate USS Thach for target practice.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @rkmtimes account on X on May 4, 2026. It read:
JUST IN🇮🇷🇺🇸🔥 Iran releases first footage that shows Two Iranian missiles hits multiple U.S. military ship or Frigates near Jask Island.
🚨A first DIRECT STRIKE ON U.S. FORCES.
This is what a screenshot of the video from the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @rkmtimes on X.)
The video is embedded below:
JUST IN🇮🇷🇺🇸🔥 Iran releases first footage that shows Two Iranian missiles hits multiple U.S. military ship or Frigates near Jask Island.
-- RKM (@rkmtimes) May 4, 2026
🚨A first DIRECT STRIKE ON U.S. FORCES. pic.twitter.com/gF1hstRV60
USS Thach
In 2016, the U.S. Navy and allied forces conducted a sinking exercise during the multinational Rim of the Pacific exercises (archived here), using the retired frigate USS Thach as a target. U.S., South Korean, and Australian forces attacked the ship with missiles, bombs, and a torpedo to test modern weapons against a real warship. After absorbing heavy damage, the ship was finally sunk in deep water in the Pacific Ocean.
A longer video (archived here) of the exercise is embedded below:
