‘Our man in Tehran’ - After internet speculation & jokes, Iranian Quds Force leader Qaani denies he is a Mossad spy

Since the death of former Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah last year, there has been sporadic speculation among online accounts that IRGC Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani could be an Israeli mole.

Qaani's disappearance in late autumn 2024, following the assassination of Nasrallah’s successor, triggered the initial speculation.

Some believed that he should have at least been tangentially involved in the various precision strikes by the IDF on Iranian proxy forces in Lebanon and Syria in which several high-ranking Hezbollah or IRGC commanders were killed.

After his disappearance following the Nasrallah assassination, reports by Iranian dissidents surfaced, claiming that Qaani had been taken for interrogation. Some British tabloids and various social media accounts even claimed Qaani suffered a heart attack during the interrogation.

The IRGC Quds Force later released a statement, saying its commander was in good health, and Qaani later resurfaced in official regime ceremonies.

The internet appeared to be intrigued by the idea that Israel’s shadowy spy agency could have turned one of the Islamic Republic’s most powerful leaders, the head of the proxy strategy deployed against the Jewish state.

The Quds Force acts as the IRGC's executive arm for activity outside of Iran. It is responsible for establishing and maintaining Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq, and arranging support for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

Qaani is the successor to the previous Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport, ordered by President Donald Trump in 2020.

The speculations were revived after Qaani again disappeared following Israel’s opening strikes on Iranian military and IRGC leaders as part of Operation Rising Lion. The New York Times even reported that Qaani had been killed in the strikes, although this was never confirmed by Israel.

Later, Israeli media reported that 29 officers with the rank of Brigadier General or higher had been killed - but not Qaani.

After the ceasefire was announced, and Iran scheduled public funerals for the commanders, Esmail Qaani was seen attending one of the funerals, and was even interviewed by an Iranian news site.

His close proximity to the commanders killed, along with his escaping the attack apparently untouched, again gave rise to (partly humorous) internet speculations that Qaani could be a Mossad agent.

Reminder that Esmail Qaani was allegedly suspected of being an Israeli agent last year.

He's been missing since the war began.

Hmm. pic.twitter.com/hYhnMHEWmL
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) June 23, 2025

Various accounts on social media posted images of Qaani, often generated with AI programs, or edited with software, depicting him as an Israeli agent or receiving awards from IDF or government leaders for his supposed actions to help Israel.

There's a growing rumour that Qaani, the head of the IRGC Quds Force, was left alive by Israel because he's Mossad.

I have no idea if this is true.

What I can tell you is that everyone left alive within the IRGC command structure is currently being accused of being Mossad... pic.twitter.com/zgRr1L0aD7
— Goldie Ghamari, JD | گلسا قمری (@gghamari) June 26, 2025

After several days of furious posts and reposts on social media, Qaani himself finally took to social media to deny the claims. In two different posts, he denied being affiliated with Israel.

In the first post, Qaani wrote, “The savage accusations of the Zionists that I have helped them in their crimes strengthen my belief in the complete destruction of the Zionist regime.”

You're our Best Agent... Moshe Kaani pic.twitter.com/lA72RPEXCa
— Mossad_Agent_88 (@levani198859192) June 29, 2025

The next day, after many Israeli accounts responded to his post, with comments praising Qaani for being the Mossad’s “best agent,” Qaani again posted on 𝕏, expressing his support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I will never give up fighting for Iran and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei,” Qaani posted. “Zionist cowards spread lies about me. I am not Mossad. I am the nightmare of Mossad!”

«بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم، من هرگز از مبارزه برای ایران و رهبر معظم آیت‌الله خامنه‌ای، دست نخواهم کشید. بزدلان صهیونیست درباره من دروغ پراکنی می‌کنند. من موسادی نیستم. من کابوس موسادیها هستم!»
— Esmail Qaani 🇮🇷 (@Esmail_Qaani_ir) June 29, 2025

The next day, an account purporting to be the Mossad’s official Farsi spokesperson’s account also claimed that Qaani was not a Mossad spy. Writing in Farsi, the account posted, “Qaani is not our spy.”

However, even this was not enough to stop the online jokes at Qaani’s expense. Internet users responded to both Qaani’s post and that of the Mossad's account, with comments such as, “That’s what a Mossad agent would say.”

@MossadSpokesman said that @Esmail_Qaani_ir is not OUR spy.

They didn't say he is not A spy... pic.twitter.com/V5LAdJIWiO
— Chaim Simcha (@chaimsimcha) June 30, 2025

While time will probably reveal more details about Israel’s work in Iran, including Mossad activity there, it appears that some people find the idea of such a high-ranking official being a secret agent of the very entity he is supposedly working to destroy too compelling to abandon.

Don't you think @Esmail_Qaani_ir is trying a bit too hard to prove he's not a spy? 🤡 pic.twitter.com/U3XnJMdLQk
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) June 27, 2025