TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry has sharply rejected accusations by former US President Donald Trump that Tehran is developing missiles capable of striking the United States, calling the allegations “big lies.”
In a statement posted on X, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Washington was repeating unfounded claims about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as casualty figures from recent unrest.
“Whatever they’re alleging regarding Iran's nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest, is simply the repetition of ‘big lies’,” Baqaei wrote.
Although Baqaei did not directly reference Trump, his remarks came hours after the former president claimed that Iran was seeking to develop long-range missiles capable of reaching American soil.
In a February interview with Al Jazeera, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran did not possess the capability to target the United States directly. However, he warned that Iran would retaliate against American military bases in the Middle East if Washington launched an attack.
During his recent State of the Union address, Trump reiterated that Iran would “never be allowed” to build a nuclear weapon, accusing Tehran’s leadership of once again pursuing what he described as “sinister nuclear ambitions.”
Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful energy purposes and that it has a sovereign right to develop civilian nuclear technology.
Trump also alleged that Iranian authorities were responsible for the deaths of 32,000 people during a wave of protests that began in December and peaked on January 8 and 9.
Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest but attribute the violence to what they describe as “terrorist acts” backed by the United States and Israel.
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