Foreign Minister Araghchi Says Foreign Minister Rubio 'Admits' US Involved in War on Behalf of Israel

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio "admitted" that Washington entered a "war of choice" against Tehran "on behalf of Israel."

"Mr. Rubio acknowledges what we all know: the US has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel," Foreign Minister Araghchi tweeted on social media X, amid the ongoing US-Israeli attack on Iran, Anadolu (3/3) reported.

Noting that there has "never" been an Iranian threat, Foreign Minister Araghchi argued "American and Iranian blood is on Israel's supporters."

Araghchi also urged the US citizens to "take back their country," noting they "deserve better."

As previously reported, Foreign Minister Rubio on Monday acknowledged the United States' attack on Iran over the weekend as a preemptive strike before Tehran could respond to an expected Israeli attack.

"We knew there would be Israeli action. We knew it would trigger an attack on American forces. And we knew that if we didn't act first, before they launched the attack, we would suffer greater casualties," said Foreign Minister Rubio.

It is known that the US and Iran held "Operation Epic Furry" version of Washington or "Operation Roaring Lion" version of Tel Aviv on Saturday, quoted from ABC.

The attack left hundreds of people dead in Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior Tehran officials.

"According to field reports from operational teams, unfortunately, 787 citizens have been killed in this attack," the Iranian Red Crescent said on its website, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP.

The Red Crescent also said attacks since Saturday had hit 153 cities and more than 500 locations across Iran in more than 1,000 attacks.

In response, Iran has fired missiles at Israel, at US bases around the region and also at targets in regional Arab countries - Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - something US President Donald Trump has called a "major surprise."

Citing CBS News, the US military on Monday said the death toll of its soldiers in the latest conflict with Iran had reached six.

The attacks carried out by Israel and the US against Iran have drawn criticism from the Democratic Party against the Government of President Donald Trump, according to a report by The New York Times.