Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that fake images of her generated by artificial intelligence were circulating online, warning that such false photos could deceive the public and target people unable to defend themselves.

Meloni said in a statement that several fake photos of her had been created with AI and passed off as real by political opponents.

She posted one such image appearing to show her sitting on a bed wearing underwear. The original post included an outraged comment that the photo was shameful and unworthy of an Italian prime minister.

“I must admit that whoever created them, at least in the attached case, has also improved me quite a bit,” Meloni said, adding that the episode showed how “anything at all” was now being used to attack people and spread falsehoods.

“The point, however, goes beyond me,” she said. “Deepfakes are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot.”

Meloni urged people to check the authenticity of online content before accepting or sharing it.

“One rule should always apply: verify before believing, and think before sharing,” she said.

Meloni launched a libel suit two years ago against a man from Sardinia who is accused of making deepfake pornographic images using her face and posting them online. The case continues.

• US successfully secures path through Hormuz: Hegseth
• Pentagon chief says Iran “doesn’t” control Hormuz.
• Iran attacked US forces over 10 times: General Caine.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the ceasefire with Iran was not over, even as the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth said the US had successfully secured a path through the critical waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through, as Washington seeks to break a chokehold Iran has asserted on the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began on February 28.

“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the strait. They do not,” Hegseth told a Pentagon news conference.

The US military says it sank six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in a campaign he called “Project Freedom.”

Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a large US military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles.

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that since the ceasefire was announced on April 7, Iran had fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships.

He said Iran has attacked US forces more than 10 times.

However, the attacks fell “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” Caine told reporters.

Asked whether the ceasefire with Iran still held, Hegseth said: “The ceasefire is not over.”

“We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows that, and ultimately, the president can make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire,” he said.

The operation is Trump’s latest effort to force an end to the disruption of international energy supplies caused by Iran’s blockade of the strait, which carried a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.

The US Navy is also enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from going to Iran or departing Iranian territory.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Beijing on Tuesday for high-level talks with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral ties and regional developments.

The visit is part of Tehran’s broader diplomatic outreach to key partners. Araghchi’s agenda includes discussions on mutual cooperation as well as regional and international issues, according to a brief statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The visit to China comes as Araghchi traveled to Russia last Monday as part of a broader diplomatic tour that also included Pakistan and Oman.

During the Moscow visit, Araghchi held talks with President Vladimir Putin, alongside meetings with his Russian counterpart.

Iran closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz to adversary nations and their allies following the commencement of US-Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28, which resulted in the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several senior military commanders.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a temporary Pakistan-brokered ceasefire came into effect. Negotiations subsequently took place in Islamabad but failed to produce an agreement amid maximalist demands and intransigent positions from the United States.

Meanwhile, the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, which Tehran slams as illegal and in violation of the ceasefire terms. In response, Iran has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz and is denying passage to vessels belonging to the US and its allies.

Tehran has submitted proposals to Washington aimed at permanently resolving the war, but these have reportedly been rejected by the White House, which has continued to issue military threats against Iran.