Fact Check

Kamala Harris never said, 'Iran is a country, but we don't live there, so it's not our country'

Social media users often attribute fabricated quotes to the former vice president.

by Aleksandra Wrona, Published April 3, 2026


Meme of Kamala Harris in black and white over an Iranian flag background, with a quote reading, "Iran is a country, but we don't live there, so it's not our country."

Image courtesy of Facebook page ForAmerica, Felicia Manolache via Canva.com, illustrated by Snopes.


Claim:
In March 2026, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said, "Iran is a country, but we don't live there, so it's not our country. And when we go there, we are in another country."
Rating:
Incorrect Attribution

About this rating


In late March 2026, social media users attributed a purported quote about Iran to former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The posts claim Harris said, "Iran is a country, but we don't live there, so it's not our country. And when we go there we are in another country." 

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell was among those who shared the alleged quote on social media. 

The purported Harris comments appeared across social media on the likes of X, Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Snopes readers also searched our site to verify whether the former Democratic presidential candidate actually made the statement.

However, there is no evidence Harris ever produced the quote. The wording resembles a recurring meme format that attributes overly simplistic or circular statements to the former California senator, often intended to mock her speaking style. We therefore rate the remarks as incorrectly attributed to Harris.

Snopes reached out to Blackwell to ask whether he had any basis to believe the quote was authentic when he shared it and will update this story if we receive a response.

No evidence Harris made the remark

Major search engines including Yahoo, Google and Bing show the quote circulated only in social media posts and screenshots, with no credible news media outlets reporting on Harris saying it. The searches also uncovered no video or audio recordings of her making the remark.

(Google search)

Given Harris' high profile as a former vice president, a remark about Iran — a major foreign policy issue — would likely have received news coverage if she had actually said it, but this was not the case.

There are also no examples of the quote appearing online before early March 2026.

What Harris has said about Iran

While the in-question quote is fabricated, Harris has made several documented remarks about Iran in late February and early March 2026 (archived).

For example, during an appearance in Wisconsin, the former vice president reportedly criticized U.S. military actions targeting Iran (archived), saying U.S. President Donald Trump "dragged America into a war that we don't want."

Similarly, in an X post the day before, she wrote (archived): "Donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm's way for the sake of Trump's war of choice."

(X user @KamalaHarris)

The attached statement, dated Feb. 28, 2026, further reads:

This is a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives that also jeopardizes stability in the region and our standing in the world. What we are witnessing is not strength. It is recklessness dressed up as resolve. I know the threat that Iran poses, and they must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, but this is not the way to dismantle that threat.

During the campaign, Donald Trump promised to end wars rather than start them. It was a lie. Then last year, he said "we obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. That, too, was a lie.

Similar fabricated Harris quotes

The Iran quote also resembles a rumor that circulated online in January 2026, in which Harris allegedly said: "Venezuela is a country, but we don't live there, so it's not our country. And when we go there, we are in another country." Snopes found no evidence she said that either, and the wording appears to follow a recurring meme format attributing simplistic or circular statements to the former senator.

Other fabricated quotes attributed to Harris have circulated online before, including claims that she made nonsense remarks about the Olympics and the Fourth of July.


By Aleksandra Wrona

Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw, Poland, area.


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