US to blame for Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states, Iran claims

Iranian foreign minister says his country cannot be held accountable for its attacks on civilian centers in Gulf Arab states, blames US for evacuating its troops from bases to hotels.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran has denied that it bears responsibility for its attacks on civilian sites inside Gulf Arab states, following hundreds of missile and drone attacks on countries across the region.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the United States, not Iran, is to blame for Iranian attacks.

Araghchi justified Iranian strikes on targets outside US military bases in the Gulf, noting that the US has removed some of its military personnel from bases, housing troops in hotels.

“We did not limit ourselves to the official bases of the enemies. Wherever American forces were gathered, wherever their facilities were, they were targeted,” Araghchi said.

“Some of these places may be near urban areas, this is not our fault, it is America’s fault,” Araghchi continued. “They moved their forces out of military bases and into hotels in cities; in general, it is the behavior of the United States that has brought the region to this situation.”

The Iranian foreign minister’s comments mark a sharp contrast with previous claims by Ali Bahreini, Iran’s envoy to the United Nations in Geneva.

Last week, Bahreini told Euronews that Iran has not attacked civilian areas, claiming that Tehran has “exclusively” targeted military facilities.

“Our military forces have been instructed to exclusively target military bases which are used by the United States against our country,” Bahreini said.

Iran, he continued, has sent “a very clear message to our neighboring countries that we are friends, we belong to the same family.”

Araghchi said that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire with the United States, but added that Tehran would welcome an end to the war “on all fronts.”