Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:45am on 17 Aug 2026,Monday India Global
A fabricated social-media claim about Iran’s nuclear programme travelled from an anonymous Indian X account to Israeli and US political circles, influencing rhetoric at the highest levels. On August 5, the account claimed Iranian commander Brig Gen Ahmad Vahidi said Tehran would pursue nuclear weapons while Israel and the US possessed them. The post included an AI-generated mushroom-cloud image, but there was no evidence Vahidi made the statement or that Iran had built a nuclear weapon. Israeli accounts amplified it before Israel’s Channel 14 aired the claim, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited it in a speech. Trump envoy Mike Waltz and Senator Rick Scott also shared it. Waltz later deleted his post, highlighting misinformation’s rapid geopolitical impact. (PC: Times Now)
