Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has chastised the Ukrainian leader after he urged the West to back regime change
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has branded Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky a “confused clown,” accusing him of openly encouraging Western-backed regime change in the country.
In a post on X on Friday, Araghchi said Zelensky had been “rinsing American and European taxpayers to fill the pockets of his corrupt generals,” adding that the Ukrainian leader was “openly and unashamedly” pushing “unlawful US aggression against Iran” in violation of the UN Charter.
“The world has had enough of confused clowns, Mr. Zelensky,” Araghchi wrote, adding that unlike the Ukrainian “foreign-backed and mercenary-infested” army, Iranians know how to defend themselves.
Araghchi’s broadside followed Zelensky’s criticism of Western capitals for failing to support Iranian protesters. Zelensky said “everyone is waiting to see what America will do,” while accusing European nations of “offering nothing” and refusing to engage on the issue.
Earlier this month, Zelensky was even more open in his criticism of Tehran, saying that “a regime that has existed for so many years and has killed so many people does not deserve to exist.”
The recent wave of protests in Iran started late December, triggered by persistent inflation and a sharp dive in the value of the Iranian rial, later turning into violent riots. Officials in Tehran have said the unrest was fomented by the US and Israel.
US President Donald Trump voiced support for Iranian protesters, posting on social media that “help is on its way,” without elaborating on what form that assistance might take. Amid heightened tensions and speculation over possible US military action, Iran briefly closed its airspace last week. However, US media later claimed that Trump called off planned strikes after talks with senior officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Israel.
On Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran had managed to curb the protests, adding that “the Iranian nation defeated the US.”
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