Iran Says U.S. Attributes Its Own Actions—or Those It Supports—to Tehran
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejects allegations from the White House spokesperson and accuses Washington of deflection.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected allegations from the White House spokesperson, saying they largely described actions initiated, carried out or supported by the United States. He called the accusations an attempt to deflect from reality and cited Proverbs 28:1. The supplied report does not detail the allegations or include a White House response.
**TEHRAN** — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, has rejected allegations made against Iran by the White House spokesperson, arguing that the accusations describe actions that the United States itself initiated, carried out or supported.
In a post on the social media platform X, Baghaei said the White House spokesperson had presented what he called a long list of allegations against Iran. According to Baghaei, a substantial part of that list “with astonishing precision” described actions that had been initiated by the United States, committed by it or supported by it.
“The spokesperson of the White House has raised a long list of accusations against Iran; accusations that, for the most part, with astonishing precision, describe the very actions that the United States itself has initiated, committed or supported,” Baghaei wrote, as quoted by Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA.
Baghaei characterized the statements as an attempt to divert attention from reality. He said such “projection and escape from reality” was not surprising, adding a quotation from the Book of Proverbs: “The wicked flee though no one pursues them.” IRNA identified the reference as Proverbs 28:1.
The remarks were issued in response to allegations by the White House spokesperson, but the available report does not specify the individual accusations or provide the White House’s wording. It therefore does not establish which particular actions or events Baghaei was addressing beyond his broad characterization of the claims.
Baghaei’s statement reflects Tehran’s rejection of the allegations and its assertion that responsibility lies with Washington or with actions Washington has supported. The response was published in a post dated Saturday, 28 Shahrivar, according to IRNA’s report. The report was published on September 19, 2026.
No independent evidence or separate response from the White House is included in the supplied account. As a result, the competing claims cannot be assessed further from the available material.