India to Israel and back: How a fake IRGC quote on nuclear weapons reached Netanyahu’s speech

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.