New Delhi, March 2 – Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated on Monday that US President Donald Trump has betrayed "America first" in favor of "Israel first." This comes as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.
Larijani posted on his social media platform, "X," saying, "Trump has betrayed 'America first' in favor of 'Israel first.'"
He also posted another message stating, "Trump's wishful thinking has dragged the entire region into an unnecessary war, and now he is rightly concerned about more American casualties. It is indeed very sad that he is sacrificing American resources and lives to advance Netanyahu's illegitimate expansionist ambitions."
Earlier in the day, Ali Larijani dismissed reports that Tehran is seeking dialogue with the United States amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking on X, Larijani stated, "We will not negotiate with the United States."
This statement came after a report from The Wall Street Journal that Larijani was seeking to resume 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 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling them unlawful aggression and signaling that Tehran would respond without compromise.
Speaking to ABC News, Araghchi rejected Washington's justification outright.
"What the United States is doing is an act of aggression. What we are doing is an act of self-defense," he said.
The US and Israel conducted joint airstrikes on Iran on February 28, amid ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed during this military operation.
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 the Islamic Republic of Iran across the region, calling the strikes a "dangerous escalation" that threatens regional stability.
In a joint statement released by the US State Department, the governments of the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates denounced the attacks on multiple sovereign territories.
"The United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates strongly condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran's indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories across the region," the statement said.
US President Donald Trump called the sweeping American military assault on Iran "one of the largest, most complex, and most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen," declaring that Khamenei is dead and vowing that combat operations will continue "until all of our objectives are achieved."
