Pakistan has been working as a mediator between Iran and the United States on talks to end the Middle East war that has killed thousands and thrown the global economy into turmoil, but footage that purports to show an Indian anchor’s anger over New Delhi’s lack of a role in the negotiations is AI-generated. An analysis of the circulating clip found several visual mistakes, indicating it was fabricated.
“Indian anchor lost his cool after Pakistan succeeded in ceasefire among Iran and USA,” reads text overlaid to a video shared on Instagram on April 8, 2026.
It apparently depicts a news anchor’s outburst filmed on live television.
“Listen to the news that has come in: Pakistan has prevented a war from breaking out between the United States and Iran, a move that would shake the world,” he says in Hindi before throwing his chair.
“But is this a victory for us? No, we must think. We must ask why we always have to stand on the sidelines. This is intolerable.”
Screenshot of false post taken April 14, 2026, with AI logo and red X added by AFP
The video also appeared on X and Facebook as Pakistan prepared to host Iranian and US delegations for high-stakes negotiations aimed at striking a permanent deal to end the Middle East war (archived link).
In India, media outlets and opposition figures questioned why New Delhi played no role in the accord, with India’s foreign minister saying India cannot be an intermediary nation (archived link).
After initial talks collapsed, senior Pakistani sources told AFP that Pakistan has worked to bring Iran and the United States together for another round of negotiations, with Islamabad being “the preferred venue” (archived link).
Comments to the posts suggested many social media users were misled and believed the video was a genuine broadcast.
“Indian TV has officially become a circus of mental breakdown,” one wrote.
“Pakistan showed the world real leadership while Indian barking dogs in the media expose their national frustration,” another said.
Not authentic programme
However, the clip bears visual inconsistencies that are artefacts of AI generation.
For example, it carries the logo of both the Indian news channel ABP News at the bottom left corner and Aaj Tak on the upper right.
The media organisations have broadcast several programmes discussing Pakistan’s role in the Middle East war talks, but nothing resembling the one shown in the clip.
Instances of incoherent text also appear throughout the video.
These include the phrases “पाकिस्तान मुकानें लझार वेवा”, “पााण्त्सान पाऋक्वांत” and “AHOKIWAL A”, which do not form any meaningful or grammatically correct Hindi phrases.
Screenshot of the AI-generated video, with some visual mistakes highlighted by AFP
Additional anomalies include a paper in the anchor’s hand inexplicably changing colour at the three-second mark, and a document appearing to merge with the surface of the table at the nine-second mark, producing a shattering sound when it falls.
At the 10-second mark, the bottom ticker flashes text that says, “BREAKIN NEWS”.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video found it was posted on X on April 8, where it was labelled as AI-generated.
More of our reporting on misinformation around the Middle East war can be found here.
