FM: Riots Israel’s plot to lay groundwork for US aggression; Iran now in full control
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attributes recent foreign-backed riots in Iran to an Israeli plot aimed at escalating the situation and prompting fresh American aggression against the Islamic Republic.
The top diplomat made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Fox News' Special Report with Brett Baier on Wednesday.
In response to extreme claims of high death toll in Iran, as propagated by American and Israeli media outlets among others, Araghchi firmly stated that the number of fatalities was, in fact, in the hundreds.
He explained that the violence was not a result of economic protests, but of external terrorist elements that infiltrated the demonstrations. These elements, he added, were responsible for escalating the situation by carrying out attacks against Iranian security forces and civilians.
“These terrorist cells entered the protests, using Daesh-style terrorist operations. They shot at police officers, burned them alive, beheaded them, and targeted civilians,” he stated. “For three days, we were not fighting protesters. We were fighting terrorists.”
The official went on to assert that these rogue actors were deliberately trying to intensify the violence in order to provoke US military aggression.
The aim, he noted, was to increase the number of casualties to try to justify foreign involvement in the unrest.
"They wanted to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because [US] President Trump had previously stated that if there were killings, he would intervene. Their goal was to drag the United States into this conflict,” Araghchi said. "This was a deliberate Israeli plot. They sought to create more deaths by targeting ordinary people and police officers."
He, meanwhile, reminded that the Islamic Republic was now in full control of the security situation in the country, referring to the outcome of security forces’ successful confrontation against the riotous elements.
Araghchi expressed hope that wisdom would prevail and prevent fresh escalation. "Let’s hope we don’t see a high level of tension, which could be disastrous for everyone."
The comments came within the context of Iranian officials’ repeated assertions that the country exerts due endeavor to address the nation’s economic problems, but stands firmly, at the same time, in the face of any effort at derailing protests towards unrest.
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