Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attributed recent foreign-backed riots in Iran to an Israeli plot aimed at escalating the situation to prompt fresh American aggression against the Islamic Republic.
The senior diplomat made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Special Report with Brett Baier on Wednesday.
In response to extreme claims of a 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 the hundreds.
He explained that the violence was not a result of economic protests, but of foreign-backed terrorist elements that infiltrated the demonstrations. These elements, he added, were responsible for escalating the situation by carrying out violent 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 deliberately sought to intensify the violence in order to provoke a US military response.
The aim, he noted, was to increase the death toll to justify foreign intervention in the unrest.
“They wanted to increase the death toll. Why? Because [US] President Trump had previously stated that if there were killings, he would intervene. Their goal was to draw the United States into the conflict,” Araghchi said. “This was a deliberate plot by Israel. They sought to create more deaths by targeting ordinary people and police officers.”
He added that the Islamic Republic has reestablished full control of the security situation in the country, following security forces’ successful operations against the riotous elements.
Araghchi expressed hope that wisdom would prevail and prevent a new escalation. “Let’s hope we don’t see a high level of tension, which could be disastrous for everyone.”
The comments came as Iranian officials have repeatedly asserted that the country is making every effort to address the nation’s economic problems, while standing firmly against any attempt to hijack protests and instigate unrest.
Source: Press tv