False Iranian Nuclear Claim Sparks US Senate Echo and Israeli Denials
Last Friday, Ronen Bergman of ynet revealed that a dramatic statement attributed to Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi, claiming Iran's intent to continue developing nuclear weapons, was never actually made by him. The claim originated from a Hindi social media post, was amplified in Israel, including by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son, and then circulated back to India with an apparent Israeli media endorsement. Despite widespread reporting, no Iranian source, speech, video, transcript, or independent news agency like Reuters, AP, or AFP confirmed the statement.
The Iranian English-language newspaper Tehran Times published a denial citing a "well-informed source" who called the Israeli regime's claims false and accused Israel of fabricating stories amid ongoing conflicts and global skepticism about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Tehran reaffirmed its clear stance on nuclear issues. The original Hindi post was translated and spread by Israel's Channel 14 English service, which never officially published the claim in Hebrew, yet it quickly became treated as a historic admission.
Prime Minister Netanyahu referenced the supposed statement in a speech at Mount Herzl, asserting Vahidi explicitly declared Iran's intention to continue nuclear weapons development. The report even reached the US Senate, where Republican Senator Rick Scott cited it as proof of Iran's dangerous intentions, supporting US actions against Tehran. However, nuclear expert Lawrence Norman of the Wall Street Journal questioned the lack of corroboration from other sources.
Israeli security officials described the episode as an illegal influence operation targeting both Israeli and American audiences, reminiscent of previous disinformation campaigns designed to appear as independent foreign media reports before returning as "external evidence". A security insider called it a poorly stitched influence operation with obvious flaws. The Prime Minister's Office maintained full support for Netanyahu's statement about Iran's nuclear ambitions despite the controversy.
Summary: A false claim that Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander admitted to pursuing nuclear weapons was widely circulated from India to Israel and the US Senate but was denied by Iranian sources and exposed as a disinformation campaign. Netanyahu cited the claim, while experts and officials warned of an illegal influence operation targeting Israel and the US.
