‘No So-Called Iranian Threat’: Araghchi Slams US Over ‘War Of Choice’ As Rubio Defends Strikes

Last Updated:March 03, 2026, 09:13 IST

In a post on X, Araghchi said, “Rubio admitted what we all knew: U.S. has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian ‘threat’."

West Asia Conflict: Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday hit out at Washington and accused it of entering a “war of choice" on behalf of Israel, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended military action against Iran.

In a post on X, Araghchi said, “Rubio admitted what we all knew: U.S. has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian ‘threat’."

He further alleged that the “shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters," adding that “the American people deserve better and should take back their country."

Araghchi’s remarks came after Rubio outlined Washington’s rationale for the military operation, saying that Washington’s decision to attack Iran was shaped by prior knowledge that Israel was preparing its own strike, arguing that the United States acted to prevent higher casualties among American forces.

“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 pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," he said

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday (local time), Rubio said the primary objective was to neutralise Iran’s missile manufacturing capacity and its ability to launch such weapons.

“Our mission and our focus is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and their ability to manufacture them, as well as the threat posed by their Navy to global shipping," Rubio said, adding that the US sought to prevent risks to its forces and regional allies.

He also acknowledged that Washington anticipated retaliation from Tehran. “We knew that if Iran was attacked, they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded," Rubio said, describing the operation as a preemptive move to avoid higher casualties.

Rubio maintained that allowing Iran to continue developing short-range ballistic missiles would pose an “unacceptable risk" and said the action was taken while Tehran was at its “weakest point."

While expressing hope for political change in Iran, Rubio clarified that the immediate goal of the mission was to ensure Tehran no longer possessed weapons capable of threatening the United States and its allies.

News world ‘No So-Called Iranian Threat’: Araghchi Slams US Over ‘War Of Choice’ As Rubio Defends Strikes

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