How fake Iran nuclear quote from India jolted US, Israel
What's the story
A fabricated quotation attributed to Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, sparked a frenzy, even entering a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and crossing the Atlantic to US politicians. The quote claimed that Iran would pursue nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel had them. The claim first appeared on an Indian-based X account on August 5 and was soon picked up by Israeli television networks and Trump officials.
Viral spread
The quote was repeated by Israeli PM Netanyahu
A major boost came when the quote was picked up by Mossad Commentary, an Israeli account with no known connection to the intelligence agency.
It argued that the statement showed Iran was buying time rather than abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
The claim was picked up by Netanyahu's son and later the PM, who, in a speech at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, said, "We heard today the commander of the IRGC, Vahidi, explicitly declaring Iran's intention to keep developing nuclear weapons."
Political fallout
False quote aired by Fox News
From Israel's prime minister's office, the quote traveled to the US.
There, the false quote was shared by the Trump administration's ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Republican Senator Rick Scott.
Waltz reposted it, saying Iran was "finally admitting what's been obvious for years."
Fox News then aired the claim, with anchor Bill Hemmer reading it during an interview with former US Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel.
Doubts
No evidence IRGC commander made the statement
However, doubts about the authenticity of the quote grew, leading to its removal from Waltz's post and a subsequent on-air acknowledgment by Fox News that it was "unverified and inaccurate."
There is no evidence that the IRGC commander made the statement.
According to a New York Times review, the astonishing trip of the phony quote demonstrates how rapidly an unproven social media claim can gain the appearance of credibility, even when the subject is as serious as Iran's nuclear program.
Diplomatic tensions
Fake quote came days after Trump halted attacks on Iran
The timing of the viral fake quote was particularly sensitive, as it came days after US President Donald Trump announced he would halt attacks on Iran to allow for peace negotiations.
If true, a statement from the head of the Revolutionary Guards admitting to pursuing nuclear weapons could have been used against negotiations.
"This quote was clearly crafted to drive a wedge into peace negotiations," Darren L Linvill of Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub told The New York Times.
Accusations made
Who is behind the fake news?
While it remains unclear who actually fabricated the quotation, Iran has blamed Israel without providing evidence.
Fact-checkers have called it a classic case of "narrative laundering," where a dubious claim starts with an obscure source and gains credibility as it is repeated by more prominent sources.
On Azriel, co-founder of Israel's Bodkim fact-checking organization, told The New York Times that the quotation "gained credibility every time an outlet or politician repeated it."