Viral video does not show Qatari anchors saying the country should pursue defence deals with Pakistan over US

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team translated the video to determine the actual content being conveyed.

Post from multiple users on social media platform X on September 15, 2025, shared a video clip of two anchors, claiming that Qatari media is advocating for defence deals with Pakistan in the wake of Israeli aggression against Qatar and perceived shortcomings in security support from the United States. However, nothing of the sort was said in the video.

Israel conducted an airstrike in Doha, Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders, on Sept 9, marking the first such operation in a Gulf Cooperation Council state. The attack, aimed at senior Hamas figures negotiating a ceasefire, resulted in the deaths of six people, including a Qatari security officer.

Qatar, a key mediator in Middle Eastern diplomacy, condemned the strike as a violation of its sovereignty. Qatar has long maintained a strategic partnership with the US, hosting a significant US military base, Al Udeid, which serves as a key regional hub for US operations. However, recent security challenges, including the Israeli aggression against Qatar, have raised concerns over the reliability of US defence support.

Pakistan had also strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Qatar with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suggesting the idea of a task force to check Israeli aggression in a summit of Arab and Muslim countries on Sept 15.

HOW IT STARTED

On Sept 15, an account on X who appears to be a pro-military account based on its past posts shared a video showing a Qatari media news report with the caption: “Qatari media transmission says Qatar should sign defence deals with Pakistan as US failed to provide security.”

The video attached in the post did not have any subtitles of what the anchors were saying.

The post gained over 150,000 views and amassed 6,000 reactions.

The same video was also shared on Facebook by a defunct news outlet, Roznama Aas News.

The text overlaid on the video said: “Campaign in Arab media for defence deals with Pakistan instead of the US is gaining momentum.”

The caption of the video said: “New debate in the Arab world: Is Pakistan a priority over America? The campaign in favour of defence agreements with Pakistan is gaining momentum in the Arab media; experts are calling it a strategic shift in the region. Growing voices of trust in Pakistan instead of America.”

The post generated 1.6 million views, 11,000 reshares and 67,000 reactions.

The same video with similar claims was also shared by other users on X as can be seen here, here, here, here and here and on Facebook too as can be seen here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the matter of bilateral defence relations between Qatar and Pakistan.

To corroborate what was actually being said in the video, its content was translated into English through AI transcription tool Turboscribe, which showed that the two anchors did not say anything about how Qatar should sign a defence deal with Pakistan. Instead, they discussed the response of Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) to the attack.

Translating the video through ChatGPT and Google Translate also yielded the following transcription:

“The brutal Israeli aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar … [Pakistan] affirm its full solidarity and support for Qatar against this aggression.

“The Pakistani foreign ministry, in a statement, condemned the aggression, stressing that this provocative and reckless act constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar.”

A reverse image search showed that the anchors and programme were of state-owned broadcaster Qatar Television. Checking its video archive on Facebook yielded the original Sept 9 video with the following caption: “The Islamic Republic of Pakistan condemns the Israeli aggression and the violation of the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, affirming its full solidarity and standing with the state of Qatar against this aggression.”

The translated transcription of the video is provided below:

“International reactions continue, as Pakistan strongly condemned the brutal Israeli aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, affirming its full solidarity and support for Qatar against this attack. In a statement, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Pakistan’s condemnation of the aggression, stressing that this provocative and reckless act constitutes a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, as well as of international law, the UN Charter, and diplomatic norms. Pakistan also renewed its full support for Qatar’s sovereignty and security, affirming that it stands by the leadership and people of Qatar in defending their sovereignty and national security. The Pakistani foreign ministry called on the international community to put an end to Israeli violations that undermine the security and stability of the region, stressing the need to hold the Israeli entity accountable.”

The translation showed that the posts circulating the claim attempted to capitalise on the unfamiliarity of Pakistani audiences with the Arabic language by hiding what the anchors actually said and associating a wrong caption with the video.

Interestingly, some users in the comment sections of the posts were seen to be disputing their captions as well, saying that the anchors were not saying what was being claimed.

A keyword search to corroborate the matter yielded a Sept 16, 2025, news report from international wire news agency Reuters titled: “Qatar, US near defence deal after Israeli strike in Doha”.

As per the report, Qatar and the US are actually close to signing on to an “enhanced defence cooperation agreement”, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Furthermore, an official statement issued by Qatar’s International Media Office on X on Sept 11 categorically denied claims that the country was reconsidering its security partnership with the US.

The statement said: “The claim made to Axios by an unnamed source ‘with knowledge’ that Qatar is re-evaluating its security partnership with the United States is categorically false. It is a clear and failed attempt to drive a wedge between Qatar and the US by those who benefit from chaos in the region and oppose peace.

“The Qatar-US security and defence partnership is stronger than ever and continues to grow. Our two countries have supported each other for many years, and we will continue working together to promote global peace and stability.”

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video clip shows Qatari media personnel promoting the pursuance of defence deals with Pakistan over the US is false.

The anchors in the video said nothing of the sort and actually discussed the response of Pakistan’s FO to the Israeli attack on Doha.