What's left of the military and civil authorities in Iran are in the habit of lying to the international community and to their own people. The problem is that so many of their lies are so blatant, so easily debunked, as to make one wonder why they bother.
Case in point: On Thursday, following another night of grievous pounding from American air power, Iran released three claims that were almost immediately contradicted by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which has control of U.S. forces in the Middle East. CENTCOM's official X account has the facts.
Over the past few hours, Iranian state media have continued to report false claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – three in particular.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 30, 2026
🚫 FIRST CLAIM: The IRGC (again) claims free and open routes through the Strait of Hormuz are dangerous for commercial… pic.twitter.com/J34ILmDvyk
The post states:
Over the past few hours, Iranian state media have continued to report false claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – three in particular.
FIRST CLAIM: The IRGC (again) claims free and open routes through the Strait of Hormuz are dangerous for commercial vessels.
FACT: The immediate dangers posed to commercial vessels and their civilian crews are the IRGC’s verbal threats and attempted attacks.
SECOND CLAIM: The IRGC claims three U.S. F-35 stealth fighters and three other aircraft were destroyed during a recent Iranian attack on an American air base.
FACT: No U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks. All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas.
THIRD CLAIM: Iranian state media is reporting that a commercial oil tanker, M/T Nora, has broken through the U.S. blockade.
FACT: The commercial vessel has not broken through America’s steel wall blockade. More than 20 U.S. warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members remain vigilant and continue to fully enforce the blockade.
So, why does Iran put out this obvious horse squeeze? There are a couple of likely reasons.
First: Some will believe Iran over the United States, regardless of what evidence either side produces. And, sadly, some people are right here in the United States who inexplicably place more faith in the corrupt, seventh-century barbarians in Tehran than in the United States government. Some of those people came from that part of the world, and some are homegrown, but we ignore their presence at our peril.
Second, it's likely a lot of this is intended for internal consumption. The remnants of Iran's civil government as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are holding on to power with a weakening grip, and after all that's transpired, the Iranian rank-and-file subjects have to be growing more and more restive. (One could argue that a theocratic autocracy like Iran has no citizens as we understand the term) The regime has to produce some semblance of victory, even if it's limited in scale and scope - and even if they have to lie about it.
Ironically, this is also the rock on which any Iranian peace deal is sure to founder. The current regime won't abide by any deal struck. As I've said and written all along, if they agree, they won't keep it. If they make a promise, they'll break it. If they make a statement, they will be lying. If they can't be trusted to tell the truth about shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, they certainly can't be trusted to keep any international agreement.
It's looking more and more like the only way out of this is through.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration's decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member