Washington, D.C. [US], November 2 (ANI): U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday forcefully refuted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s statement that Tehran has not targeted civilians in neighboring countries, accusing Iran of intentionally striking civilian infrastructure and killing more than 20 seafarers in recent months.
In a fact-check posted on X, CENTCOM explicitly labeled the Iranian leadership’s public assertions as false, pointing to intentional strikes on both land-based civilian targets and commercial shipping lanes.
“CLAIM: Iran’s foreign minister recently claimed publicly that Iran has not attacked civilians in neighboring countries. This is FALSE,” CENTCOM stated.
“FACT: Iran has not only intentionally attacked civilian infrastructure, neighborhoods and other facilities in neighboring Gulf countries, but it has also deliberately attacked civilian mariners at sea — killing more than 20 in recent months,” the U.S. military command asserted. “Iran’s indiscriminate aggression is clearly evident and inexcusable.”
The sharp exchange comes as maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf region remains severely disrupted.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said responsibility for advancing negotiations now lies entirely with Washington, emphasizing that Iran’s demand for an end to the U.S. naval blockade must be met before the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened or secured.
“The ball is in America’s court because our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran’s demands are reasonable and logical,” Baghaei said during a press briefing. “No final agreement can be initiated, and the Strait of Hormuz cannot be opened or secured unless the U.S. naval blockade is ended, Iran’s demands are met, and Iran’s legitimate demands are implemented. After that, we can discuss the continuation of the process.”
He warned that Washington has a track record of undermining diplomatic efforts rather than pursuing them.
“So far, the U.S. has shown that it not only lacks initiative in the field of diplomacy, but also destroys diplomatic initiatives,” Baghaei added. “In the past two years, the U.S. has only beaten the drum of war, and whenever a path for diplomacy has been opened, or during that process, it has disrupted the process.”
Baghaei referenced previous diplomatic attempts, pointing out that even after agreements were reached, such as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, they were unraveled shortly afterward.
“Incidentally, the senior negotiator in the Islamabad process was the same writer of the letter, and we saw that the U.S. president recently also announced that that process was a waste of time in our opinion,” he said. “That said, any diplomatic process should definitely be approached with great caution.”
Despite past setbacks, the spokesperson affirmed that Tehran’s core proposal remains available for negotiation through regional intermediaries, provided Washington acts in good faith.
Baghaei added that Iran has officially conveyed its conditions to the U.S. through Qatari-mediated talks in Doha, stressing that the exchange of messages remains active despite growing regional complexity.
This comes as The Wall Street Journal reported that an American delegation is expected to join Iranian officials for talks in Doha. He said Qatar has proposed reducing the implementation period for Iran’s plan to open the strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, to two days from five. (ANI)
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