The ongoing war between America and Iran is no longer limited to just missiles, drones and Hormuz, a different kind of war is going on between the two countries on social media as well. Here memes, claims and misinformation are spreading rapidly and sometimes their impact is visible even on big political statements related to the war.
One such case came to light on August 5, when a sensational claim regarding Iran’s nuclear program went viral on social media. The claim spread so fast that within a few hours it reached the media of Israel and America. After this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also mentioned it in his speech. America’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz also shared it on social media.
What is the whole story of this post?
On the morning of August 5, an anonymous The account had around 1.75 lakh followers. The post claimed that Brigadier General Ahmed Vahidi, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has said that as long as America and Israel have nuclear weapons, Iran will also continue trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
To make the post more sensational, an AI-generated picture resembling a nuclear explosion was also posted along with the picture of Ahmed Wahidi. There was no evidence that this statement was correct. Neither was it confirmed that Ahmed Vahidi had made any such statement nor was any evidence revealed of Iran making nuclear weapons. Despite this the post started spreading rapidly.
How did the posts go viral?
About two hours after the original post appeared, another X account from India shared its Hindi translation. This account had about 82 thousand followers. After this, this claim crossed the social media limits of India and reached Israel.
An Israeli account named ‘Mossad Commentary’ took it forward. Although the name resembles Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, this account has no confirmed connection with Mossad. The account took forward the claim and created a narrative that Iran is not serious about talks and is deliberately wasting time. About half an hour later, Israel’s Channel 14 broadcast the alleged statement in English.
How did the post become part of Netanyahu’s speech?
After this the matter progressed more rapidly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son and political commentator Yair Netanyahu also shared these posts. And then within a few hours this claim reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech.
Netanyahu mentioned this claim during a speech at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem the same evening. Mount Herzl is the national cemetery of Israel. Netanyahu called the alleged statement proof of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Thus, a claim that started from an anonymous social media account and went viral without verification became a part of the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech within a few hours.
How did the story reach America?
This story did not stop here. It was shared rapidly in America also. America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, shared this claim on social media. He said that Iran is finally accepting what, according to him, was clear for many years. Florida Senator Rick Scott also reposted it. Apart from this, Fox News also covered this claim. That is, within a few hours an unverified social media post from India became a part of the political and media debate in Israel and America.
What did Iran say?
Iran completely rejected this viral claim. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai described it as an example of ‘a flood of lies against the Islamic Republic’. He alleged that Israel is behind such claims. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his allegation. Baghai also said that similar allegations have been made against Iran for the last two decades and have been used to justify military action against Iran.
Iran’s nuclear program has been the subject of international concern and scrutiny for nearly three decades. Iran says that its nuclear program is for peaceful and civilian purposes. At the same time, US President Donald Trump includes Iran’s nuclear program as one of the main reasons to justify his anti-Iran campaign.
In such a situation, any claim related to nuclear weapons becomes very sensitive. This is the reason that in this matter, the impact of a post that went viral on social media was visible even in international politics within a few hours.
Mike Waltz’s post disappeared again
After questions started being raised on this claim, an important development came to light. The post shared by Mike Waltz was later removed from X. No official reason was given as to why the post was removed. This is what brought this entire matter into further questions.
How big a narrative can one post create?
The most important thing about this entire incident is that the unconfirmed claim that started from an anonymous account crossed the borders of many countries within a few hours. First it was posted in India, then its Hindi translation came out. After this, Israeli social media accounts took it forward. Then a TV channel broadcast it. The Israeli Prime Minister’s son shared it and shortly after, Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned it in his speech.