The US and Iran exchanged sharp accusations as nationwide protests continued, with leaders on both sides issuing warnings and counterclaims.
Protests across
Iran have triggered fresh tensions with
Washington, drawing sharp reactions from leaders in both countries. As
demonstrations spread to several cities, the United States rejected accusations of foreign interference, while Iran’s leadership blamed external forces for the unrest.
The
United States on Friday said Iran’s foreign minister was “delusional” after he accused Israel and Washington of fuelling the protests sweeping the Islamic republic.
“This statement reflects a delusional attempt to deflect from the massive challenges the Iranian regime faces at home,” a US State Department spokesperson said. The response followed comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made during a visit to Lebanon.
Earlier this week, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Iranian leaders appeared to be “in big trouble”.
“It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,” Trump said. He warned that if Iranian forces opened fire on protesters, the US would respond. “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”
Tehran accuses US and Israel of interference
Earlier on Friday, Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of trying to influence and destabilise Iran’s protest movement, while downplaying the likelihood of direct foreign military action.
Speaking in Lebanon, he claimed Washington and Tel Aviv were openly interfering in Iran’s internal affairs. “This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Araghchi alleged that outside actors were seeking to escalate the situation. “They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones,” he said, accusing the US and Israel of exploiting domestic unrest to undermine stability in Iran.
Addressing the risk of military action, he dismissed the possibility. “Regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures,” he added.
Internet blackout and human rights concerns
Iranians returned to the streets on Friday despite an internet blackout imposed by authorities as part of a crackdown. Amnesty International said the “blanket internet shutdown” was aimed at “hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush” the protests.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, Jan 9, described demonstrators as “vandals” and “saboteurs.” Suggesting US involvement, he said “Trump’s hands are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians,” referring to Israel’s June war against Iran, which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own.
Khamenei said the “arrogant” US leader would be “overthrown,” comparing him to the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran until the 1979 revolution.
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