Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated an alleged quote attributed to a senior Iranian commander about Tehran's determination to develop nuclear weapons, even though the statement had no identified primary source and was later traced to an Indian pro-Israel account on X.
An investigation by Israeli news outlet Ynet and New York Times journalist Ronen Bergman found that Netanyahu used the alleged quote, attributed to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Ahmad Vahidi, in an official address to warn Israelis about Iran's nuclear plans. Ynet's investigation traced the source of Netanyahu's remarks to Ritika, an Indian Hindu-nationalist and pro-Israel X account, which posted the alleged quote on 5 August.
"There will be no discussion over enriched uranium or nuclear weapons. As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security. If they disarm, we will disarm," the post attributed to Vahidi said.
According to Ynet, the quote began circulating rapidly after it was posted.
About four and a half hours later, Mossad Commentary, which presents itself as an unofficial account of Israel's intelligence agency on X but has no connection to the Mossad foreign intelligence agency, repeated the claim to its more than 1 million followers.
"THERE WILL BE NO FINAL DEAL. The sooner we understand that, the better," the account said, before citing the alleged remarks by Vahidi. The account added: "The regime is not preparing to abandon its nuclear ambitions. It is buying time. There will be no deal."
Israel's Channel 14 repeated the alleged Vahidi quote, describing it as the first direct admission by an Iranian official that Tehran was developing a nuclear bomb. It did not provide a primary source for the quotation. Channel 14 News is widely regarded in Israel as a mouthpiece for Netanyahu and his far-right government.
A recent report found that the Israeli government had bought millions of shekels worth of commercial airtime from the channel in recent years.
Ynet reported that Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's eldest son, subsequently reposted content from the two Israeli accounts to his near-300,000 followers on X.
Yair Netanyahu is one of the most influential figures in the Prime Minister's inner circle, with numerous reports indicating that he and his mother, Sara Netanyahu, are heavily involved in the prime minister’s decision-making. Netanyahu's eldest son is known for promoting hardline politics and false information through his social media accounts, with many of Netanyahu's Likud party members seeking his approval.
Netanyahu Picks Up on Statement, Which then Spreads to United States
"Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons - ‘continue’, as he put it," Netanyahu said, according to Ynet's investigation.
The alleged quote subsequently spread to the United States.
According to Ynet, Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, reposted the Channel 14 report before later deleting it. US conservative commentator Mark Levin also reposted it.
Fox News later reported that Vahidi had said Iran would continue working on nuclear weapons as long as the US and Israel possessed them. The outlet subsequently clarified its report, saying the remarks "were previously taken out of context and amplified as comments made this week".
The alleged quote continued to circulate in Israeli media, with journalists close to Netanyahu, including Yaakov Bardugo and Avishay Ben Haim, repeating the prime minister’s warning on Israeli television, Ynet reported. The Israeli foreign ministry's Persian-language X account also posted Netanyahu's remarks about Vahidi.
About 13 hours after the original post appeared on the Indian X account, Fox News reported on the alleged statement, saying it was "intensifying concerns that Iran is using negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz to postpone concessions on its nuclear program".
Two days later, the outlet clarified that Vahidi's remarks "were previously taken out of context and amplified as comments made this week".
Two hours after Fox's initial report, Asian News International, a major Indian news outlet, repeated the claim, citing Israeli media reports.
Vahidi's alleged quote, Ynet said, served Netanyahu to bolster his claim that Iran seeks to develop a nuclear weapon amid reports suggesting that Netanyahu opposes a deal between the US and Iran.
In June, Netanyahu told Channel 14 News that "as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons", adding that he saved Israel from "annihilation" twice by claiming Iran possessed atomic bombs.
While Ynet could not determine whether Netanyahu or his inner circle directed the circulation of Vahidi's alleged quote, the investigation pointed "to a series of familiar markers of disinformation distribution".
It said that Netanyahu had faced similar accusations in the past. In September 2024, Netanyahu’s office allegedly provided the UK-based Jewish Chronicle and Germany-based Bild newspaper with false information claiming that Hamas intended to smuggle Israeli captives through the Rafah area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt to Iran.
Two Netanyahu aides are also under investigation over allegations that classified documents were leaked to influence Israeli public opinion about military operations in Rafah.
Ynet's investigation said recent reports suggested Israeli influence operations had increasingly targeted audiences outside Israel, including in the US, amid growing criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza and Iran from both Democratic and Republican figures.
Last month, Iran's embassy in India also accused Indian media of spreading false information about Iran. "Indian media should not compromise the public trust and its professional credibility by disseminating fake and fabricated news," the embassy said, adding that it expected outlets to "avoid participating in external propaganda efforts".