Iranian foreign minister rejects US claim of planned attack as 'sheer, utter lie'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected US claims that Iran had been planning to attack the US or its forces, calling the allegation "a sheer and utter lie."

"The claim that Iran was planning on attacking the US or US Forces, whether preventively or preemptively, is a sheer and utter lie," he wrote on X.

He added that the claim was intended to justify "Operation Epic Mistake," which he said was "a misadventure engineered by Israel and paid for by ordinary Americans."

Regional escalation has flared when Israel and the US launched a joint attack against Iran.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.

Nearly 10,000 civilian sites targeted

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has said the joint US-Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,300 civilians since the beginning of the war.

According to the Iranian envoy, the strikes have deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure across the country.

He said the attacks have destroyed 9,669 civilian sites so far.

The envoy added that the strikes have also hit 32 medical facilities, 65 schools, 13 buildings belonging to the Iranian Red Crescent and several energy facilities.

Fuel depots in Tehran and other cities have also been targeted, causing the release of toxic pollutants that pose a serious health risk to civilians, particularly children, he said.

Iran has also warned that pollution from the explosions has created major health concerns for the population.

The envoy said the attacks violate the United Nations Charter and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.