Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied claims of mass casualties during the country’s recent protests.
Speaking on Fox News, he called the host’s estimates of the number of dead, ranging from 2,500 to more than 12,000 protesters, baseless. According to the minister, the number of dead is in the hundreds.
“When foreign-led terrorist elements entered these protests and started shooting at the police force, police officers and security personnel… Terrorist groups came and carried out ISIS-style terrorist acts. They burned police officers alive, beheaded them, and opened fire on both police officers and the public. So for three days, we were actually fighting terrorists, not protesters,” Araghchi said, adding, “That was a completely different story.”
“This was a conspiracy hatched by Israel to drag US President Donald Trump into a war,” he said.
Araghchi assured that the situation is now under control: “Three days after the terrorist attacks, the authorities in Iran have complete control. The situation in Iran is calm.”
