Heshmat Alavi, an Iranian commentator, has been portrayed as a courageous dissident with a broad constituency and rare insight into the inner workings of the Iranian theocracy. His columns have been printed in Forbes, The Diplomat, The Federalist, Voice of America, The Daily Caller and The Hill. And his analysis, such as his assertion that Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran pumped money into the mullah’s military budget, has been cited by the White House to justify leaving the agreement. But what if…he doesn’t actually exist?

The Intercept’s Murtaza Hussain reported on Heshmat Alavi, and found that the columnist is not who he purports to be.