Fact Check: Claim That 20,000 Indonesian Troops Forced US to Cancel Iran Strike Is False

January 27, 2026 | 01:08 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video has circulated on Facebook [archive] and YouTube claiming that the United States canceled its attack on Iran in 2026 because 20,000 personnel from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) were stationed in the Middle East.

The video shows activities of U.S. President Donald Trump, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and military troops. The content is accompanied by text in the video and the caption reading, “AS batal serang Iran, 20 ribu TNI berada di garis depan Timur Tengah” (“US cancels attack on Iran, 20,000 TNI at the frontline in the Middle East”).

But is it true that Trump ordered his troops to cancel the attack on Iran because of the TNI’s presence in the Middle East?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content using Google reverse image search, AI content detection tools, and other credible sources. The results show that the claims in the content are false.

According to CNN and The Guardian, Trump planned to attack Iran on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in response to the regime’s actions that killed many demonstrators. More than 3,000 demonstrators were reported dead since protests began in early January 2026.

However, Trump later canceled the attack after receiving information that the repressive measures against demonstrators had decreased. In addition, Trump’s plan drew criticism from several other countries.

Visual Verification

Visual 1

The YouTube video thumbnail shows anomalies, including a ship hull labeled “IRK.” The abbreviation is unusual because it is not recognized in Indonesian warships.

The abbreviation on a military ship’s hull should read KRI, short for Kapal Republik Indonesia (Republic of Indonesia Ship). In general, the hull of warships usually carries a numeric code, for example, code 320 for KRI Brawijaya, as previously reported by Tempo.

Furthermore, analysis with the Was IT AI detection tool states that the image was generated using AI. Similarly, Hive Moderation reported that 99 percent of the image was AI-generated.

Visual 2

The Trump video shown at the beginning is actually a clip of him discussing the topic of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Nigeria, as reported by the YouTube channel ABC7 News Bay Area on December 27, 2025. The video is not about Iran or Indonesia.

Visual 3

The image of the troops at the 9-second mark is also anomalous. Everyone is entirely black in both skin tone and clothing. Additionally, two individuals have shadows detached from their bodies. Analysis with the Was It AI tool states the image is AI-generated, while Decopay.ai estimates that 86 percent of the content was produced by AI.

CONCLUSION

Tempo’s verification concludes that the narrative claiming the circulating video shows Trump canceling an attack on Iran out of fear of 20,000 TNI personnel in Gaza is false.

Moreover, the deployment of 20,000 TNI troops for a peace mission in Gaza has indeed been planned by Prabowo and the TNI Headquarters, as reported by Antara. However, it is still awaiting United Nations (UN) approval, and there is no confirmed information about their deployment.

TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM

**Do you have information or claims that you want to have fact-checked? Contact our ChatBot. You can also send criticism, objections, or feedback for this Fact-Checking article via email to [email protected].

Fact Check: Claim of European Warship Convoy to Defend Greenland From US Attack Is False

22 jam lalu

Fact Check: Claim Linking Iran Blackout to Global Elites Is False

2 hari lalu

Fact Check: Did World Bank Rank Indonesia as World's Second-Poorest Country?

2 hari lalu

Fact Check: UN Not Moving Headquarters to Indonesia

4 hari lalu

Fact Check: No, Photo of Plane Crash Survivor Was Not from ATR 42-500 Incident

5 hari lalu

Fact Check: Is Trump Moving 1 Million Israelis to Papua?

6 hari lalu

Fact Check: Did NASA Stop Ocean Exploration in 1978?

7 hari lalu

Fact Check: Viral Video of Maduro Arrest Celebration Is AI-Generated

8 hari lalu

Fact Check: Claim of US Nuclear Test Behind 2004 Aceh Tsunami Is False

9 hari lalu

Fact Check: No Evidence Nadiem Makarim Handed Rp450 Trillion Over to Jokowi

9 hari lalu