An Israeli U.N. ambassador has turned into an unexpected hit in Iran after handing a visiting Iranian representative a Starlink device while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking. The clip of the exchange has gathered roughly 9 million views on social media, with close to 40% of its Instagram audience based in Iran, per analytics shown to Fox News Digital.
While speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu held up a Starlink device during his remarks, addressing the Iranian people directly. He had arranged for the Starlink part ahead of time and requested that the device be handed over to the Iranian delegation following his presentation. Ambassador Danny Danon later went to an Iranian representative with the device, an exchange that was recorded on video.
The Iranian representative declined to take it.
How the Video Spread
Danon later posted the exchange on social media, where it quickly gained traction. The analytics show that 39.9% of viewers were located in Iran, the largest share from any country. The U.S. accounted for 14.3%, followed by Israel at 12.6%, Canada at 5.9% and Germany at 4.1%.
Fox News Digital was told by a representative for Danon that the office had been surprised by the video’s reach inside Iran, saying such an audience is unusual for Israeli diplomatic accounts. “We couldn’, which they described as having reached a wide audience in Iran.
The representative explained that Danon’s office considered the sizeable Iranian audience noteworthy because of the message that accompanied the Starlink offer, a statement about freedom and freedom of expression for the Iranian people.
The Recirculated Video
The video’s rising fame did not come without a price. As it spread, another online trend emerged, one tied to a very different piece of history.
Danon’s office says accounts that appear to belong to Iran have begun sharing again a video from September 2023, showing the moment former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan was led away from the General Assembly during a protest against then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. At the time, Erdan was carrying a photograph of Mahsa Amini while Raisi spoke.
A circulating post from recent hours has attracted hundreds of thousands of views by presenting the incident as a present-day clash involving Israel’s U.N. ambassador, with the ambassador himself responding to the wave of attention.
What the Office Says
Danon’s representative characterized the renewed circulation as a “disinformation campaign” intended to counter the attention surrounding Danon’s video. “From our perspective, the Danon video moved something in Iran,” the representative told Fox News Digital, arguing that the Iranian regime was attempting to “change the story.”
The Numbers Behind the Reach
The analytics show that 39.9% of viewers were located in Iran, the largest share from any country. The U.S. accounted for 14.3%, followed by Israel at 12.6%, Canada at 5.9% and Germany at 4.1%.
According to the analytics provided to Fox News Digital, the video has accumulated approximately 9 million views across social media.
Key Facts Box
- Video reached around 9 million views across social media
- Nearly 40% of Instagram viewers located in Iran (39.9%)
- Largest share from any country
- U.S.: 14.3%
- Israel: 12.6%
- Canada: 5.9%
- Germany: 4.1%
A Simple Offer That Turned Into a Battle
Netanyahu got the Starlink device ready for his speech and requested that it be given away after he finished. Danon then handed it over to the Iranian representative during the event. A recording of the exchange was made, and that recording spread widely online.
The response came next, and it targeted the person delivering the proposal rather than the proposal itself. The Iranian accounts unearthed a video from September 2023, showing Erdan being escorted from the General Assembly while carrying a photograph of Mahsa Amini. They then shared it online, presenting it as though it had just taken place.
That is the official line, according to the representative, who described it as a “disinformation campaign.”. The video moved something in Iran, and the Iranian regime was attempting to alter the story.
Why the Old Video Worked
What made the old video effective was its ability to reframe the current situation. It presents Netanyahu’s offer of a Starlink device not as a friendly act, but as something far more troubling — a provocation.
The accounts posting it are believed to be Iranian, according to Danon’s representative. The post drew hundreds of thousands of views. It portrays the incident as a current confrontation involving Israel’s U.N. ambassador.
The representative argued that the Iranian regime was trying to “change the story.”. The Danon video had an effect on Iran, and the old video is the regime’s answer.
Source material: “Israeli UN envoy's Starlink video reaches millions, with nearly 40% of Instagram viewers in Iran,” Fox News.
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