Iran FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi Rejects US Claims Of ‘Pre-Emptive’ Attack Plan, Calls Operation Epic Fury An ‘Epic Mistake’ | VIDEO

Tehran [Iran], March 11: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday denied claims that the country was planning a "pre-emptive" attack on the US and its forces, a claim that the United States has peddled to attack the Persian Gulf country.

Iran dismisses claim as a lie

Dismissing it as a lie, Araghchi called Operation Epic Fury a grave misadventure.

In a post on X, the Iranian Foreign Minister said, "The claim that Iran was planning on attacking the U.S. or U.S. forces, whether preventively or preemptively, is a sheer and utter lie. The sole purpose of that lie is to justify Operation Epic Mistake, a misadventure engineered by Israel and paid for by ordinary Americans."

Trump defends US military action

His remarks come amid the backdrop of US President Donald Trump on Monday during a press briefing saying that the military actions in Iran were something he "felt" had to be done.

Trump told reporters, "I felt it (military action in Iran) was something we had to do. I didn't feel we had a choice. If we didn't do it they (Iran) would have done it to us. I felt based on the negotiations that were being had by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Marco and Pete and everybody who was involved, I felt that they were looking to tap us along before they hit. And I thought they were going to hit and if they hit us first that would have been a very bad thing."

US officials cite intelligence concerns

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties."

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, during a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the stance of Trump, adding that the "feeling" was based on "facts".

She told the media, "It was not the first time the President has said that he chose to launch Operation Epic Fury because he felt as though Iran was going to strike the United States and our assets in the region first. This was a feeling the President had based on facts—facts provided to him by his top negotiators who had been engaged with the Iranian regime in a good faith effort."

Iran emphasises its civilisational resilience

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recalled the civilisational history of Iran and underlined, "aggressors have come and gone; Iran has endured".

He said in a post on X, "Iran is the heir to a civilisation at least 6,000 years old. Through the trials of history, no power has ever succeeded in erasing this storied name. Anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history. Aggressors have come and gone; Iran has endured."

Conflict expands across West Asia

The developments come amid an escalating security situation in West Asia, which has resulted in the conflict expanding beyond Iran, with Iranian retaliatory strikes—using missiles and drones—targeting US military bases, embassies, and civilian and energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf nations, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

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The conflict has caused significant disruptions to global energy supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, where approximately 20% of the world's oil transits.

(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)