Ritika from India got no chill, gets Israel PM, Fox News to swallow fake Iran pill
A remark by the Commander in Chief of Iran's IRGC, Ahmad Vahidi, on the Islamic Republic's nuclear weapons programme was picked up by Israel's Channel
A remark by the Commander in Chief of Iran's IRGC, Ahmad Vahidi, on the Islamic Republic's nuclear weapons programme was picked up by Israel's Channel 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and even American broadcaster Fox News. It was also shared by the American envoy to the UN. The problem? IRGC's Vahidi didn't make those remarks on the country's nuclear weapons. The source of the fake news that travelled the world has now been traced to a verified X handle based in India. And Ritika is now at the centre of the storm, which gives a glimpse into how a citation loop helps fake news reach unimaginable proportions. Read Full Story Not just global media, the fake news that has roots in India travelled the world to return home within a span of 16 hours. We will get into that later. But let us first see how a sitting Prime Minister of a friendly nation and global media outlets became victims of a fake post from an India-based handle. According to an investigation conducted by the Israel-based news outlet, Ynet News, PM Netanyahu on August 5 repeated an alleged quote by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Ahmad Vahidi, in an official address to warn Israelis about Iran's nuclear plans. That being said, Vahidi has more or less stayed under the radar ever since his appointment as the IRGC chief. In fact, his last public appearance was on July 3 during former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's funeral. That was also the last time he had made a public statement. So where did Netanyahu, PM of a country boasting one of the world's most formidable intelligence agencies, like Mossad, get Vahidi's statement from? According to Ynet news, the source is a tweet made by an India-based X account. Ritikaa's fabricated quote traveled the world in a span of 15 and a half hours. (Image: ITGD) RITIKA FROM INDIA COOKS UP A VAHIDI QUOTE, WORLD FEASTS ON IT The story starts from a tweet made by an India-based verified X handle @Im_Ritikaa with the display name 'Ritikaa'. Israel's Ynet described the account as a "very pro-Israeli", Hindu nationalist account. According to the "About this account", the X handle was created in November 2021, is based in India, and is accessed via the X Android app. It has been X Verified since December 2025 and has changed its username four times, with the last username change recorded in September 2022. Frequent name changes are a red flag.
The post by Ritikaa, whoever that individual might me, carried a gif with Vahidi in the foreground and explosions in the background. More importantly, it also carried a quote in Hindi attributed to the IRGC Supreme Commander, reading, "There will be no discussion over enriched uranium or nuclear weapons. As long as the US and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security. If they disarm, we will disarm." Keep in mind, not a single Iranian figure has ever admitted to developing nuclear weapons. In fact, the now deceased Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, described the development and possession of nuclear weapons as religiously forbidden. As such, any admission by an individual of Vahidi's rank would be a massive departure for Iran. It would have made global headlines. It would have come from Iran's multiple news agencies or international media outlets. But it came from Ritika. Ritikaa's original post which started a disinformation circle. (Image:Â @Im_Ritikaa) HOW RITIKAA'S FABRICATED VAHIDI QUOTE WENT TO ISRAEL Ritika's post, which was made at 9.14 am on August 5, would normally have drowned in the daily flood of disinformation that flows through the internet every day, except that it didn't. At 13.49 pm, an account calling itself, Mossad Commentary, which proudly flaunts itself as the unofficial social media page of Jerusalem's premier intelligence agency, Mossad, committed something most unintelligent. It used the quote attributed to General Vahidi by Ritika, and made its own post. The Mossad Commentary post reads, "THERE WILL BE NO FINAL DEAL. THE SOONER WE UNDERSTAND THAT, THE BETTER. IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi has again made Iran’s position clear: 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 regime is not preparing to abandon its nuclear ambitions. It is buying time. There will be no deal." Note, Mossad Commentary, though verified on X, is not an official Mossad account. The Associated Press (AP) previously investigated the account and reported that it impersonates Israel's intelligence agency. The Israeli military also told AP that Mossad Commentary was "clearly not an official account". In any case, the handle amplified the fake news by Ritika, which would end up in Benjamin Netanyahu's speech. Mossad Commentary used Ritikaa's fabricated quote in a seperate post. (Image: X/MOSSADil) ISRAELI NEWS CHANNEL, NETANYAHU SON AMPLIFIES FAKE VAHIDI QUOTE Bad enough, an account masquerading as Mossad had posted an abject fake quote.
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