Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer issued an on-air correction Thursday after the network aired and later amplified a fabricated quote attributed to Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander concerning the country’s nuclear ambitions.
On America’s Newsroom, Hemmer acknowledged that a statement he read on air August 6, attributed to IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi, was “unverified and inaccurate.”
“So last week, we incorrectly attributed a quote about a nuclear program to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi,” Hemmer said. “Since that time, we’ve learned that quote was unverified and inaccurate, and we regret that error.”
The bogus quote claimed: “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.” Hemmer had presented it during a discussion of the ongoing Iran conflict, asking former CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel whether Vahidi had said “the quiet part out loud.”
Israeli outlet YNet, citing reporter Ronen Bergman, revealed the quote was fabricated and originated from an India-based social media account. It spread widely enough that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited a version of it in a Jerusalem speech on August 5, saying Vahidi had “explicitly state[d] Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons.”
A related August 5 FoxNews.com article that referenced the remarks was later updated with an editor’s note clarifying they had been “taken out of context and amplified as comments made this week.”
The episode underscores the challenges of verifying claims amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, where misinformation about nuclear intentions can quickly circulate across media and political circles.