Iran accuses US, Israel of 'directly interfering' in protests, dismisses risk of military action

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the United States and Israel of attempting to influence and destabilise Iran’s ongoing protest movement, while playing down the likelihood of any direct foreign military intervention against the country.

Speaking during a visit to Lebanon, Araghchi claimed that Washington and Tel Aviv were openly interfering in Iran’s internal affairs. “This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran,” AFP quoted him as saying.

He alleged that external actors were seeking to escalate the situation on the ground. “They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones,” Araghchi said, accusing the US and Israel of exploiting domestic unrest to undermine stability in Iran.

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Addressing concerns over potential military action, the Iranian foreign minister dismissed the possibility of a direct intervention, saying such a move was unlikely. “Regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures,” he added.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and Western powers, as protests continue in several Iranian cities and the United States has warned Tehran against harsh crackdowns on demonstrators.

With inputs from agencies