Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday rejected accusations by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Tehran was planning to attack the United States, thereby justifying large-scale US military action against Iran as a 'preventive' measure, according to EFE, as reported by Agerpres.
'Rubio acknowledged something we all knew: the United States decided to go to war on behalf of Israel. There was never any alleged threat from Iran against the United States,' Araqchi said on social network X.
The head of Iranian diplomacy added that 'the bloodshed of Americans and Iranians' is the responsibility of those who believe in 'Israel first'.
On Monday, Marco Rubio justified the large-scale military operation launched on Saturday against Iran as a 'preventive' action, claiming that the Islamic Republic was preparing to attack American positions in the region.
According to the US Secretary of State, Washington knew that Israel was preparing to attack Iran and that Tehran was going to respond with bombings against American bases in the Middle East. For this reason, he said, President Donald Trump made the 'wise decision' to strike first.
Israel and the United States launched a large-scale attack against Iran on Saturday, killing the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been in power since 1989.
Tehran responded with air strikes against Israel and countries in the region that have US military bases.
US President Donald Trump has promised that the offensive against Iran will continue until its entire missile program, navy, and nuclear capabilities are destroyed.
