The Truth Behind the Quote Attributed to Saeed Khatibzadeh: Media Fabrication or Reality?
WANA (Sep 05) – In recent days, some foreign media outlets — including several Israeli and American news platforms — attributed a controversial quote to Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister. According to them, he allegedly said: “We are trying to prevent another war in the region, but the likelihood of a war between Iran and the Israeli regime is very high.”
But what is the truth?
Official Denial: What Khatibzadeh Said — and Didn’t Say
In an interview with an Iranian news outlet, Khatibzadeh explicitly stated that he never made such a remark. According to him, his discussion with Iraq’s Al-Ikhbariya network focused on Israel’s aggressions, its violations of international law, and Iran’s deterrent response — not on predicting a future war.
He emphasized that his comments were about Iran’s legitimate right to self-defense and its firm response to Israeli attacks — not about claiming a “high likelihood of war.” Therefore, the quote published by foreign media, as he pointed out, was a clear distortion of the original conversation.
A billboard with a picture of Iranians supporting Iran is seen on a street, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Foreign Media and Word Games
Despite this official denial, several American and Israeli outlets repeated the false quote and used it as a basis for their analyses.
In the United States, publications such as Newsweek circulated the distorted statement, while others like The Washington Post linked it to concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and regional tensions. However, most of these outlets gave little attention to Khatibzadeh’s explicit denial, sometimes mentioning it only in passing.
In Israel, media organizations went further, using the fabricated quote to warn of an “imminent danger of war.” Israeli officials even referred to it as a justification to talk about their “full military readiness.”
As a result, a narrative gained prominence — one that the original source in Tehran repeatedly insisted was completely fabricated.
An image of the Newsweek article that published a false quote attributed to Saeed Khatibzadeh / WANA News Agency
Media Narratives vs. Reality
Attributing such statements to a senior Iranian official can influence public opinion, diplomatic calculations, and even the regional security discourse.
Yet the available evidence — including Khatibzadeh’s formal denial and the actual content of his interview with Al-Ikhbariya — shows that the foreign media narrative was not a reflection of reality but rather part of the ongoing information war amid Iran-Israel tensions.
The controversial quote attributed to Saeed Khatibzadeh never appeared in his remarks. What he actually said was criticism of Israeli aggressions and an emphasis on Iran’s deterrent response — not a prediction of war.
“Eghtedar Paydar 2025” (dubbed in English Sustainable Authority) naval missile drill of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. Source: Iran Army PR/ WANA News Agency
The widespread repetition of a false statement in certain foreign media outlets, especially in Israel, highlights how the media war can twist facts and turn a fabricated phrase into a tool of political pressure.
Tehran’s official stance, however, remains clear: Iran does not seek war — but it will not leave aggression unanswered, without ever claiming that the risk of war is “very high” or using such words itself.
