Merve Aydogan
16 March 2026•Update: 17 March 2026
HAMILTON, Canada
US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that Iran used artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate footage depicting the USS Abraham Lincoln on fire, as well as buildings burning across the Middle East.
Pointing to claims of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln being on fire, Trump said he "called the General: What's with the Abraham Lincoln looks like it's burning down?"
"No, it's not burning down. Not a bullet was ever fired at it, sir," Trump quoted the general as saying.
The US president also said the footage showed "buildings in Tel Aviv burning to the ground, high rises burning. They showed buildings in Qatar. They showed buildings in Saudi Arabia burning, and they weren't burning."
"They weren't hit. It was all AI," Trump added, noting that "this is my first glimpse of AI and what they've done with it."
Trump also said Iran had shown “kamikaze boats” that he said do not exist, and suggested the AI efforts were tied to ongoing negotiations, saying, "I think that's the only thing they do well, they're negotiating."
The US president's remarks came after the spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff claimed that USS Abraham Lincoln was "neutralized" on Saturday.
