Araghchi calls Netanyahu ‘serpent’ over US-Iran war

Shafaq News- Tehran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of drawing the United States into the war with Iran, pointing to Netanyahu’s remarks about his efforts to influence US opinion in favor of military action against Tehran.

“In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the US Administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel,” Araghchi said, contrasting those remarks with Netanyahu’s praise of US President Donald Trump’s leadership in English and calling the Israeli premier a “serpent.”

In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the U.S. Administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel.Netanyahu explicitly laughs about how he "influenced" America through 1,000 hours of airtime on U.S. networks.In English, he praises POTUS' leadership.Serpent. https://t.co/O2hXExS91M

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) August 31, 2026

Last week, Netanyahu dismissed prospects for an Iran-US agreement under Tehran’s current leadership, which he described as “savages,” and said he had spent “almost 1,000 hours” appearing on American television to make the case for military action against Iran.

Washington and Tel Aviv launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military officials and hundreds of people, including women and children. Iran retaliated with attacks across the region before an April ceasefire ended the fighting, although sporadic attacks have continued, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States struck Iran’s Larak Island late Sunday, its first such attack in a month. Tehran subsequently announced retaliatory strikes targeting sites housing US forces in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Trump, meanwhile, argued in a Fox News interview on Monday that Tehran would have used a nuclear weapon had it acquired one, claiming Israel would have been destroyed and that the United States or Europe could have become subsequent targets. “If I weren't president, Israel would be gone. There would be no Israel. And there would probably be no Middle East,” he said.

Read more: Iran is losing the war, the US is losing the endgame