On Saturday 17 January, the government of Iran claimed that the United States is making false accusations against the country in its latest attempt to “fuel tensions” in the region. It dismissed the US allegation of attacks on American bases in the region, warning that any move to militarily target Iran would be retaliated. The comments were made by the spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, in a press conference in response to a post on the US Deparment of State’s Farsi page, claiming Iran is preparing to launch attacks on its bases in the region.
The US Department of State reiterated threats of striking Iran, saying that “all options remain on the table” and warning Iran not to “play games with president [Donald] Trump.” Trump has been issuing threats of strikes on Iran since the beginning of the year, after protests broke out in the country over economic suffering.
President Trump has also repeatedly threatened the Iranian government not to use force against protesters, whom he even encouraged to occupy institutions, promising “help on its way”. On Sunday, Trump went so far as to accuse Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei of misrule and excessive use of violence against the protesters to stay in power. He also repeated his call for change in the country’s leadership.
The US president’s open support for Iranian protesters and threats of military intervention has invited strong criticism from top Iranian officials, who have claimed that...
On Saturday 17 January, the government of Iran claimed that the United States is making false accusations against the country in its latest attempt to “fuel tensions” in the region. It dismissed t...