Fake Iran nuke claim from Indian X account jolted Netanyahu and Team Trump. Here’s how

An anonymous Indian X account began spreading a fabricated claim about Iran's nuclear ambitions on August 5. The post alleged that Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, stated that Iran would never abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons as long as Israel and the US possessed them.

The statement was accompanied by an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud, showing Vahidi alongside the claim. Despite lacking evidence to support the assertion, the post quickly gained traction. Shared by an account with 175,000 followers, it was subsequently picked up by another Indian account with 82,000 followers and translated into Hindi, further expanding its reach.

An Israeli account, Mossad Commentary, amplified the claim, suggesting Iran was stalling and not negotiating honestly. Within 30 minutes, the unverified quote appeared on Israeli Channel 14, which described it as Iran's first public admission of working towards a nuclear bomb. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later referenced the allegation in a speech at Mount Herzl, effectively presenting it as evidence of Iran's alleged nuclear intentions.

The false claim even reached US political circles, with former Trump administration official Mike Waltz reposting it on X and Republican Senator Rick Scott sharing it. Fox News aired the statement, with anchors and guests discussing it as evidence of Iran's duplicity. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed the claim as part of a barrage of lies against Iran, accusing Israel of behind the false allegations.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are purely for civilian purposes, while the US and Israel have consistently accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons.