Fact Check

Is This a Real Photo of Obama Shaking Hands with Iranian President Rouhani?

Arizona U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar tweeted a fake image of a meeting between former President Barack Obama and Iran President Hassan Rouhani.

Published Jan. 7, 2020

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Claim:
A photograph shows former U.S. President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

On Jan. 6, 2020, amidst escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, U.S. Rep. Paul A. Gosar, R-Az., tweeted a picture of former President Barack Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, along with the caption "The world is a better place without these guys in power":

However, Obama and Rouhani never met face-to-face during the former's term of office, and the image of the two men tweeted by Gosar was a fake created by altering a 2011 photograph of Obama's meeting with former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss nuclear-liability laws:

Moreover, Gosar's critical caption for the fake photo ("The world is a better place without these guys in power") was inaccurate, as Rouhani is still very much in power as Iran's president.

After the picture of Obama and Rouhani was identified as a fake, Gosar then criticized the "dim witted reporters" who pointed it out and attempted to claim that the false and misleading aspects of his tweet were irrelevant:

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Sources

Reuters. "'Never Threaten the Iranian Nation,' Rouhani Tells Trump."     The New York Times.   6 January 2020.

Wright, Tom.   "Indian, U.S. Leaders Meet on Nuclear Law."     The Wall Street Journal.   18 November 2011.

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.