Tehran [Iran], November 15 (ANI): Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Saturday (local time) slammed the US narrative that Tehran initiated the conflict with Washington in 1979, calling it "deceptive" and accusing American officials of attempting to evade responsibility for the consequences of its recent military aggression against Iran as part of the border West Asia conflict.
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump asserted that Washington did not initiate the war with Iran, claiming that Tehran had been waging war against America since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In a lengthy post on X, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the US administration of attempting to shift responsibility for the conflict by invoking the historical events of 1979, while overlooking decades of American intervention in Iran.
"American officials have now come up with a new deceptive narrative to evade responsibility for the catastrophic human, economic, and geopolitical consequences of their unlawful aggression against Iran: 'America did not start the war with Iran; the Iranians started it with the 1979 Revolution!'" Baqaei said.
Rejecting Trump's account, Baqaei said the 1979 Iranian Revolution was aimed at restoring the country's sovereignty, freedom and human dignity. He also referred to the 1953 CIA-backed coup, saying the memory of American interference remained deeply rooted among Iranians.
"The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was about reclaiming the country’s sovereignty, freedom, and human dignity. And, of course, the bitter memory of American interference, particularly the 1953 CIA-backed coup, was still fresh in the minds of Iranians then, just as it is today," he said.
Baqaei further accused Washington of repeatedly resorting to military aggression against Iran, alleging that the US had launched attacks twice in less than nine months while diplomatic negotiations were underway.
He alleged that the attacks resulted in the assassination of Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei and senior Iranian officials; casualties among women and children; and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
"Military aggression has a clear definition. No matter how desperately American officials try to evade the issue, they cannot erase from the minds of the American people or the world the fact that it was the United States that twice, in less than nine months, launched unprovoked aggression against Iran in the midst of diplomatic negotiations," Baqaei said.
The Iranian spokesperson also accused the US administration of attempting to portray the military campaign as a victory despite what he described as a failure to achieve its objectives.
Arguing that the historical roots of the confrontation extended well beyond 1979, Baqaei cited several instances of US involvement in Iran's affairs, including the 1953 CIA-backed coup, Washington's political, intelligence, military and financial support for Saddam Hussein's regime during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, and the alleged complicity of the Reagan administration in Iraq's use of chemical weapons against Iran.
He also referred to the downing of an Iranian civilian airliner over the Persian Gulf in July 1988, which killed all 290 people on board, as well as US economic sanctions, Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
"The United States cannot escape responsibility for its decision to launch unlawful war of choice against Iran on 28 February 2026 by turning back the clock or redefining the meaning of war," Baqaei said.
"The United States has been both the instigator of historical hostility toward the Iranian Nation and the initiator of military aggression against Iran," he added.
This comes after Trump, speaking at the 2026 National Veterans Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, said that the US did not initiate the war with Iran and defended his administration's military action against the Islamic Republic.
He further asserted that Washington was seeking a "total victory" rather than a partial outcome.
"America did not start a war with Iran. Iran has been waging war in America since 1979. This should have been taken care of a long time ago," Trump said.
The US president also claimed that American military operations had significantly damaged Iran's capabilities. (ANI)
US pushing "deceptive narrative" to evade responsibility for aggression against Iran: Esmaeil Baqaei
