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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “serpent,” accusing him of tricking Washington into going to war with Iran on Israel’s behalf.
“In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the U.S. Administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
“Netanyahu explicitly laughs about how he ‘influenced’ America through 1,000 hours of airtime on U.S. networks,” he added.
“In English, he praises POTUS’ leadership. Serpent,” Araghchi said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The remarks came after the United States struck Iran’s Larak Island late Sunday, its first such attack on Iranian territory in a month.
In response, Iran said it launched attacks on bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates used by the U.S. military.
The war between Iran and the United States began Feb. 28, when U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials.
Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict continued to spread.
An April ceasefire ended the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly near the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed prospects for a final peace agreement.
The United States has recently shifted toward a campaign it calls “economic asphyxiation” against Iran.
Last week, Netanyahu dismissed any prospect of an Iran-U.S. deal and called Iran’s leaders “savages.”
Trump also reiterated that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, describing the country’s leadership as “very violent, evil people.”
“You cannot let them have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told Fox News in an interview published Sunday.
He argued that Tehran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had acquired one, claiming that the Middle East “would have essentially been gone” and that Israel would have been destroyed, with the United States or Europe possibly becoming the next targets.
“If I weren't president, Israel would be gone. There would be no Israel. And there would probably be no Middle East,” Trump said.
Trump said the United States was inflicting significant damage on Iran and praised what he described as an effective blockade.
“We are doing a great job. The blockade has been unbelievable ... we are hitting them very hard. Nobody has ever been hit like this,” he said.
Trump called Iran a “failing nation” and said he was surprised when Tehran began targeting Gulf countries at the start of the war.
“Everybody was shocked. I was surprised,” he said, adding that he believed the attacks caused Iran to lose support.
Trump also accused Democrats of wanting the United States to lose its wars against Iran and Venezuela.
He said that would not happen because the country is “absolutely winning easily.”
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