From India to Israel to US: How a fake Iran nuclear quote went global

On August 5, an India-based X account posted a quotation attributed to Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi. The statement claimed that Iran would continue pursuing nuclear weapons as long as the United States and Israel had them. However, there is no evidence that Vahidi ever made this remark, and there is no proof that Iran has developed nuclear weapons.

The fabricated quote quickly spread across Indian social media platforms. Within hours, another Indian account propagated the same quotation, and it began to gain traction in Israeli social media and television. Mossad Commentary, which is named after Israel's intelligence agency but has no known connection to it, also circulated the purported remarks to suggest that Iran was delaying its nuclear ambitions.

The claim was then featured on Israel's Channel 14, which presented it as the first official acknowledgment that Iran was attempting to acquire a nuclear bomb. From there, the fabricated quote made its way into Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at Mount Herzl, where he cited the statement as evidence of Iran's continued nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu's son, Yair, responded to the posts about the alleged remarks.

The fabricated statement then traveled to the United States, as U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz reposted it on social media. Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida also shared the claim, and Fox News discussed it on air as potential evidence of Iran's nuclear intentions. Anchor Bill Hemmer even read the quotation during an interview with Gen. Joseph Votel, describing it as nearly as close to an Iranian admission as he had heard.

However, doubts arose about the accuracy of the quotation. Waltz's post was later removed, and Fox News acknowledged on air that the statement was "unverified and inaccurate" and apologized for the error. This incident demonstrates how quickly misinformation can gain credibility through social media, even when the subject matter is critical—highlighting the need for cautious consideration and verification before spreading such claims.