False Iranian nuke quote spread from Indian Twitter account to Netanyahu speech in 8 hours

A made-up quote from an Iranian general saying that Tehran was working toward nuclear weapons and would continue to do so spread all the way from anonymous social media accounts to a speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within a few hours earlier this month.

The New York Times said in a Sunday report that there was “no evidence” that the Iranian general made the comment. While it was unclear where exactly the fake quote originated, the paper went on, “it appeared intended to bolster Mr. Netanyahu’s longstanding claim that Iran is determined to build a nuclear weapon.”

Iran, which routinely calls for the destruction of Israel, maintains that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes. However, it has enriched uranium to levels far beyond what’s necessary for any peaceful application, and consistently obstructed international inspectors from checking its facilities. Israel has also said Iran has taken steps toward weaponization.

The quote, attributed to the chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, first appeared on August 5 on an Indian account on X — apparently this one, though The Times did not name it — with tens of thousands of followers.

“There will be no talk on Enriched Urenium [sic] or nuclear weapons, as long as US & Israel are owning nuclear weapons, we will keep working on it for national security. If they dispose, we will dispose,” read the quote.

The Ynet news site, which first raised doubts (Hebrew link) about the veracity of the quote in the early hours of August 6, ascribed it to the “Ritika” Indian account. That account was also cited by the Times, which said Ritika posted the fake quote two hours after its first appearance. The Bodkim fact-checking organization noted that Ritika had spread unsourced information in the past and echoed Netanyahu talking points.

The Times said Iran immediately criticized the post, blaming Israel for it without providing evidence, and noted that the quote was published three days after US President Donald Trump had announced that he was halting all strikes on Iran to give a chance to negotiations.

The newspaper said that the alleged quote began to gain traction worldwide after it was picked up by the Mossad Commentary account, which in fact has no links to the Israeli intelligence agency.

Gedaliah Blum, who runs the account, told the Times that he thought the quote had come from a radio interview, but could not recall the source, and that in any case, he himself believed Iran was working to obtain nuclear weapons.

The quote was further disseminated by the English-language account of the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, which claimed that it was the first time that an Iranian official had admitted to his country pursuing nuclear weapons.

Ynet noted that Channel 14 had been building Vahidi up for months, claiming that he was the true author of quotes from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

The quote was then amplified by Yair Netanyahu, who shared a social media post from the “Israel War Room” account, which cited Channel 14 as the source. The premier’s son is a firebrand activist and podcaster, known for his provocative social media presence.

From there, the quote began to spread to other outlets, a number of them quoting “Israeli reports.” However, numerous Israeli outlets, including The Times of Israel, did not report the alleged statement, doubting its credibility.

A few hours later, the prime minister cited the quote in a speech he made at a state ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

“Today we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards declare Iran’s intention to continue to develop nuclear weapons,” the premier said.

“He said ‘to continue,'” Netanyahu emphasized. “As the prime minister of Israel, I too am determined to continue. To continue to prevent it from doing so.”

Bodkim noted that it had taken just some eight hours for the false quote to spread from an anonymous Indian social media account to a speech by the prime minister.

Soon after Netanyahu’s speech, Iran hawk and US Ambassador to UN Mike Waltz also shared the quote, but the post was later deleted.

The statement continued to spread and was disseminated on Israel’s official Persian social media account, and carried on to reach further outlets worldwide, including Fox News.

In summary, Bodkim noted that it was an example of circular reporting aiding the dissemination of false information, with the original source eventually fading from view, and the information seen as more reliable when reported by more mainstream outlets.

Darren L. Linvill of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, who tracks the spread of propaganda and disinformation, told The New York Times that he believed it to be a classic case of narrative or information laundering.

“This quote was clearly crafted to drive a wedge into peace negotiations,” he assessed.