IRGC commander did not speak - Netanyahu claimed: "He explicitly declared they will develop nuclear weapons"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a dramatic statement on Wednesday during a state ceremony held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where the grandparents of the visionary of the state were reinterred: according to him, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ahmad Vahidi, "explicitly declared" that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu claimed the remarks were made that same day, but such a statement, at least publicly, was not made and was not reported even in Iranian media outlets, which for years have insisted that they never intended to develop nuclear weapons. Such a statement, if indeed made, would constitute a dramatic change of direction for the Ayatollah regime and would have received extensive coverage in international media.

An alleged quote from Vahidi, without explanation of the source, was published on the X account of Channel 14 about three hours before Netanyahu spoke. The quote appeared half an hour earlier in a post on an unofficial English-language account calling itself Mossad Commentary. After Netanyahu's speech, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz shared a post with this claim: "Finally admitting what has been clear for years," wrote Waltz.

It remains unclear whether this explicit Iranian threat was actually made—a statement that, if true, would certainly have angered President Donald Trump in the midst of contacts with Iran regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is intended to pave the way for talks on a nuclear agreement.

In his speech, Netanyahu referred to the story of Ze'ev Herzl:

"He listened and understood what antisemites, such as the mayor of Vienna who was elected at the time, were planning. He did not seal his ears. We also do not seal our ears. We heard today the commander of the IRGC, Vahidi, explicitly declaring Iran's intention to continue developing nuclear weapons. Continue! That is what he said. Well, as Prime Minister of Israel, I am determined to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. President Trump is the greatest of our friends in the White House, and the USA is our great ally. We greatly appreciate our joint efforts against Iran's nuclear ambitions, but I wish to clarify: Israel's existence is not subject to negotiation. We will do everything necessary to ensure our security and our future."

Recall that about a month ago, Netanyahu made a surprising claim. In an interview with Channel 14 at the end of June, he said: "I entered Iran twice to save us from destruction by atomic bombs that were already in their hands." The following day, Yesh Atid party chairman Yair Lapid claimed it was an invention: "Netanyahu is saying boastful things. Iran did not have any nuclear bombs. He is inventing a reality to frighten the Israeli public."