'I condom': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's alleged typo goes viral amid Iran-Israel conflict

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and (right) the screenshot of his alleged post on X doing rounds on social media. (Image credit: AFP, X)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has found himself at the centre of an unexpected online controversy after a screenshot, claiming he typed "I condom" instead of "I condemn" in a social media post, went viral. The post, reportedly intended to formally condemn an Israeli airstrike on Iran, quickly turned a serious geopolitical discussion into widespread online amusement and memes.

The alleged incident occurred on Friday, following reports of Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which reportedly targeted the country's nuclear infrastructure and killed senior military commanders and scientists. In response to these strikes, Sharif aimed to express Pakistan's formal condemnation.

But, a screenshot widely circulated on X showed the phrase "I condom the attack on Iran by Israel...", swiftly transforming a crucial diplomatic statement into viral content. One X user posted, along with the screenshot: "'I Condom' Pakistan’s Prime Minister mistakenly wrote 'condom' instead of 'condemn' in the support of Iran. Later, he rectified it."

'I Condom'Pakistan's Prime Minister mistakenly wrote 'condom' instead of 'condemn' in the support of Iran.Later, he rectified it. pic.twitter.com/5DGiv9qZql
Space Recorder (@1spacerecorder) June 13, 2025

Social media platforms were then flooded with laughter, memes, and GIFs, as users rephrased the line to "I condom this too." Some users dubbed it a "facepalm moment" and the "typo of the year," while others debated whether the original post was a genuine error or deliberately edited for humour. "'I condom.' A historic moment when autocorrect struck harder than diplomacy," read one comment, with another user noting, "typo or not, that tweet is unforgettable now."

Despite the widespread viral attention, the accuracy of the original screenshot remains unverified. No credible source has officially confirmed the existence of the "I condom" post itself. Official statements from June 13, 2025, however, used the correct word "condemn" in expressing full support for Iran, as reported by Radio Pakistan and The Express Tribune.

When asked to retrieve the deleted tweet, X's AI language model Grok stated it could not access the deleted post but speculated: "Yeah, it seems the typo was real. Pakistan’s PM meant to say 'condemn' but wrote 'condom' in a post about Israel’s attack on Iran. Social media ran with it, mocking the error with laughing emojis, but official reports corrected it and focused on the serious condemnation. Typos happen, but this one stole the spotlight from the geopolitical issue. Hard to confirm the original post without seeing it directly, though."

This incident took place amidst heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran and Israel reportedly exchanging airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours.