Social media has seen a widespread circulation of a claim that Iranian Revolutionary Guard leaders are utilizing open-source aviation surveillance programs and general applications to monitor the movements of American aircraft heading towards the area. These posts appear to be aimed at downplaying Iranian capabilities in surveillance and tracking, particularly with the increased frequency of American flights arriving at bases in Europe and the Middle East, coinciding with rising threats from Washington of a military strike against Iran.

Additionally, an investigation into the virally spread image associated with these claims revealed it to be digitally altered and generated using artificial intelligence techniques. The original image, it turns out, belongs to Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and was published in January when the U.S. was preparing to conduct airstrikes against Venezuela as part of an effort to overthrow the Maduro regime. This demonstrates how misinformation can be leveraged in the context of military tensions.

While the circulated image has been debunked, it cannot be definitively stated that Iran ignores tracking movement in air navigation. However, it is clear that Iran is indeed utilizing various means for surveillance – although the capabilities and methods may differ from the sensationalized depictions circulating in social media. This development underscores the complexities of modern military surveillance and the manipulation of information in high-stakes geopolitical scenarios.