In recent hours, a strange video has caused trouble on social networks. Some claim it shows a massive nuclear bomb filmed somewhere in Iran. After checking, these are actually special effects. No bomb of this size exists to date.
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Could a huge nuclear bomb transported by a truck have been filmed by a motorist on an Iranian highway? This is what several Internet users claim on social networks, with supporting video. The images they broadcast show a transport truck with, on its bed, what looks like an imposing bomb. The streamlined empennage, that is to say the rear part of the bomb, is square in shape. On the front, we recognize the yellow symbol for radioactivity.
“ Alert ! Hebrew Media Posts Video Saying It’s From Iran, Says Iran Now Has Its Own Doomsday Weapon and Nuclear Weapons », Comments an Internet user, in a publication seen more than 650,000 times on X (formerly Twitter). Another adds: “ Iran has become a nuclear state. I congratulate the Islamic Republic on this achievement “.
In the comments, several users rightly question the veracity of these images. Some point out the excessive size of the machine, “ impossible to fit in the hold of a plane “. Others note “ the lack of security around the truck on a busy highway “.
A manipulated video
To trace the thread of this strange video, we carried out several reverse image searches (see here how to do it). Results, these images appear for the first time on Instagram on October 24, 2024. The profile which is at the origin describes itself as a “ graphic designer and digital creator “. He writes in his bio: entertainment in the form of special effects, I hope you like it “.
In fact, the videos he regularly publishes all feature special effects. We can see a helicopter crashing, a plane from the future landing on a runway or even a truck transporting oversized vats of milk. With these special effects, this user does not seek to deceive or misinform, but to show off his talents.
A device copied from the Hiroshima bomb
Once the element of surprise has passed, it is obvious that this bomb created from scratch strongly recalls the profile of the bomb ” Little Boy », used by the Americans in Japan, in 1945. However, the author of the special effects reproduced the bomb by very significantly increasing the dimensions of the original model. The real bomb was three meters long, and weighed no less than four tons. Referring to the size of the trailer, one can imagine that the model supposed to represent the Iranian bomb is approximately four times larger. The bed of the transporter truck is estimated to measure approximately 13 meters. We can imagine the colossal mass of such a bomb.
On closer inspection, we see that on the rear axle of the trailer, certain wheels are raised, which means that the vehicle is empty or underloaded. This is surprising given the size and mass of the load that the heavy goods vehicle is supposed to carry. The most likely is that the famous Iranian A-bomb was added to the montage on the images of a truck driving… empty.
Also readIran: images diverted to make it appear like a nuclear test
Major implausibilities
To date, the largest nuclear bomb ever launched is the Tsar Bomb, tested in 1961 by the Soviet Union. It weighed 27 tonnes. If we refer to archive photos, we can say that the giant Iranian pseudo-bomb on this truck has approximately the same size. But the problem that faced Soviet engineers would be the same today. How can we find a plane big enough and powerful enough to carry this bomb, while having enough fuel to reach a distant objective?
The Soviets had to modify a large Tupolev-95 bomber just for this test, but it was never planned to use it (with such a large bomb) operationally. In no case does Iran have an air carrier capable of lifting such a load. If one day Iran possesses nuclear weapons, in the opinion of experts, nuclear warheads mounted on ballistic missiles will be favored.