Lucknow, March 2 – As the conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran escalated, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad alleged on Monday that people around the world are being misled and accused US President Donald Trump of pursuing policies aimed at dominating other nations.
He stated that past conflicts were launched on what he described as false pretenses.
Speaking to IANS, Maulana Kalbe Jawad said: "When Iraq was attacked, it was claimed that weapons of mass destruction were present there. The country was destroyed, but nothing was found. It was all based on false claims. Now, similar allegations are being made against Iran, accusing it of building an atomic bomb. The world is being warned in the same manner, but there is no concrete evidence."
He further claimed that diplomatic talks were underway before the recent escalation.
"Talks were going on, and suddenly Iran was attacked. This indicates that the United States and Great Britain have a broader strategy. President Trump is working on the same agenda and wants to use his power to control the world. Only Iran has stood against him," he alleged.
The cleric also criticised current global political alignments, claiming that many Arab nations were no longer independent in their decision-making.
He expressed concern that certain governments were blindly following US policies without evaluating their impact.
“We gained freedom from British rule, but now we are slipping towards another form of dependence,” he said.
He also criticised ties with Israel, calling it a "terrorist nation", and questioned the acceptance of international honours from leaders facing allegations in global courts.
The US and Israel conducted joint airstrikes on Iran on February 28, amid the nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran that were underway and progressing. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during this military operation.
Earlier in the day, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that US President Donald Trump has betrayed 'America first' to adopt 'Israel first.' This comes as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.
He also put up another post that said, "Trump's wishful thinking has dragged the whole region into an unnecessary war and now he is rightly worried about more American casualties. It is indeed very sad that he is sacrificing American treasure and blood to advance Netanyahu's illegitimate expansionist ambitions."
Ali Larijani also dismissed reports that Tehran is seeking dialogue with the United States as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.
This remark comes after a report from The Wall Street Journal said that Iran was seeking a resumption of diplomatic engagement with the US through intermediaries from Oman.
On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US strikes that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei, calling them unlawful aggression and signalling that Tehran will respond without compromise.
In response, Iran launched a series of missile attacks across the Middle Eastern nations, targeting US military bases.
The US and six Gulf nations strongly condemned what they described as "indiscriminate and reckless" missile and drone attacks launched by Iran across the region, calling the strikes a "dangerous escalation" that threatens regional stability.