Daily Express FABRICATED story that Iran just threatened to nuke Isreal.
Mistaken interpretation of social media post not a plausible excuse for spreading misinformation.
The Daily Express has come under sharp criticism for publishing a sensationalized and misleading report that falsely portrays Iran as issuing a direct nuclear threat against Israel.
The article, titled “Iran threatens to nuke Israel with chilling image showing missile obliterating Tel Aviv,” appeared on Express.co.uk on March 6, 2026, authored by reporter Rebecca Robinson.
Robinson wrote the article in an alarmist tone. She essentially claimed that Iran had used deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s X.com account to share a threat that Iran was going to nuke Israel. But that is not what happened.
Khamenei’s first social media post since his death included an AI generated image of three panels depicting the assembly, transport, and launch of an Iranian Khorramshahr-4. An urban area flying the Israeli flag is struck by the missile. The following description accompanied the image:
The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, and its consequences will make the regime desperate, by God’s grace. Martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution June 13, 2025 KHAMENEI.IR
Robins mischaracterized the image in her Daily Express article:
Iran has shared a chilling image of a nuclear missile striking an Israeli city, which appears to be Tel Aviv. In a post on X, the account peviously beloging to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni warned that “Khorramshahr is ahead”, in refrence to the ballistic missile named after the Iranian city.
A Daily Express reader commented this “only justifies war.”
The top of Robinson’s article bizarrely starts out with a different image of missile—an image that was not actually posted on Khamenei’s X account.
Instead, Daily Express apparently used an image posted on Mossad’s official X account (@MOSSADil) on March 5. Mossad’s version of the image is written in Farsi unlike the English version on Khamenei’s X account. Even Mossad—notorious for extreme propoganda—did not claim that it was a nuclear weapon. Why did Robinson?
No Evidence of a nuclear missile
The Khorramshahr-4 (خرمشهر) missile depicted in the image is not a nuclear weapon by itself. This fourth version of is a conventional medium-range ballistic misile (MRBM) with an estimated range of 2,000 km while carrying a 1,500 kg warhead. he missile reportedly reaches speeds of Mach 16. Once out of the atmosphere, the missile’s specialized navigation system can stay on course without relying on terminal guidance systems that can be jammed such as cameras, radar, or infrared.
While the Khorramshahr-4 is not designated a nuclear missile. However the missile could theoretically carry a nuclear warhead if Iran had one—it does not.
Iran has many other missiles that could tow a nuclear weapon, including the Sejjil, Emad, Ghadr, and Shahab-3.
Before Rebecca Robinson published her article, IRGC had fired four Khorramshahr-4 missiles at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport and the Lod Airbase in Tel Aviv. The missiles disrupted airport operations. But the extent of any damage remains unknown because Israeli and most mainstream Western media outlets have censored coverage.
IRGC fired more Khorramshahr-4 missiles at Haifa and Tel Aviv on March 6. A year before that, in June 2025, IRGC fired one at Israel in response to the U.S.’s attack.
It is mind boggling that Robinson thinks the image posted on Ayatollah Khamenei’s X account is a nuclear weapon. The Khorramshahr-4 has never been used with a nuclear warhead. And there is nothing in the social media suggesting the same. There are no markings on the missile that reflect it is carrying a nuclear payload. A portable Code Management System (CMS) or “T-handle” device necessary to activate a nuclear warhead is not present in the picture.
Iran does not have a nuclear weapon
Experts consistently agree: Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon. The country does not have necessary fissile material nor the ability to build a functional nuclear warhead.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is actively monitoring possible radiological emergencies in the region.
On March 2, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated there is “no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb,” though concerns persist over its enriched uranium stockpiles and limited inspector access. No credible sources indicate Iran has issued an explicit nuclear threat in this context.
How the misinformation spread
The Daily Express article was quickly amplified and picked up by news aggregators, including DrudgeReport.com which posted the headline “IRAN THREAT TO NUKE TEL AVIV,” with a link to the article.
Robinson’s article is clearly inflammatory misinformation that unnecessarily heightens regional tensions by conflating conventional missile rhetoric with nuclear aggression.
About the reporter and lack of response
Robinson is a relatively unknown younger news reporter for Daily Express. Her X account (@beccarobinson26) only has 103 followers. She did not respond to our request for comments on her sourcing, image analysis, or the potential consequences of the framing.
In 2022, Robinson posted the question on her X account: “Is Iran at the point of no return?”
Since creating her X account, Robinson has mostly expressed or retweeted liberal political ideologies, including on the topics of abortion rights, gender issues, her support of Palestinians, criticism of Israel and disdain of President Donald Trump.
One of her retweets insinuates that President Donald Trump is a war criminal. This makes it all the more curious why she has suddenly flipped to fear monger for Israel.
This incident highlights broader issues with rapid, click-driven reporting on high-stakes geopolitical topics, where right-wing news sources instigate conflicts that increase the profits of military weapons manufacturers.
Daily Express and owner Reach PLC: propaganda arms of the weapons industry
Daily Express is owned by Reach PLC, a publicly traded British company (LSH:RCH) that owns over 120 news brands including Daily Mirror, Sunday Express, and Daily Star.
Reach PLC (Trinity Mirror) acquired most of the newspapers owned by Ghislaine Maxwell’s father Robert Maxwell’s irror Group Newspapers (MGN) and Pergamon Holdings, including Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, Sunday People, Daily Record, and Sunday Mail.
Beyond his media empire, Robert Maxwell operated as a high-stakes broker in the underworld of international arms dealing. He is credited with arming in Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He sold and helped smuggle an arsenal of military weapons to the nascent Israeli state.
I heard Israel threatened Iran with nuclear weapons.