Iran nuclear post: How a fabricated X claim by Indian account created panic in Israel, US
An Indian X account claiming that Iran would not abandon its nuclear ambitions as long as Israel and the United States possessed such weapons, alleged to be from Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, spread on social media, creating panic in Israel, the US and beyond. The unverified quote, featuring Vahidi and a cartoonish AI-generated mushroom cloud, appeared on an Indian X account with around 175,000 followers, later shared in Hindi by another account with about 82,000 followers.
Mossad Commentary, a prominent Israeli X account, amplified the claim, stating Iran would not abandon its nuclear ambitions and buy time. The fabricated quotation reached Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited it in his speech at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The claim then spread to US politicians and media outlets, including Fox News and Mike Waltz, the Trump administration's ambassador to the United Nations.
While the claim remained unverified, it gained traction due to repeated citations by political figures, broadcasters and other accounts, despite the original source being unreliable.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
