Iran attacks US failures as scepticism grows over Israeli role in Trump 'assassination plot'

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticized the United States for relying on faulty intelligence that led to military actions during President Donald Trump's visit to Turkey. Araghchi accused Washington of miscalculating due to intelligence failures, including when it launched its war on Iran. He specifically pointed out that US actions in the Strait of Hormuz were a "bigger miscalculation" than fake news.

The situation intensified as The Washington Post confirmed reports that Turkish officials viewed an Israeli warning about an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump during last month's NATO summit in Ankara as a ruse. Israel had passed the intelligence to the CIA, but US analysts deemed it unconvincing and alerted administration officials. Trump reportedly followed his security team's instructions and was evacuated from Turkey on a different military aircraft.

Meanwhile, Iran's commander of the Basij paramilitary unit, Hossein Taeb, claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is "under Iran's control and management." He asserted that the United States sees the power of the Islamic revolution and that the waterway remains secure under Iran's management. This comes after Trump claimed that the US had "total control" of the strategic waterway.

Araghchi also attacked France and other Western governments for condemning Iran's treatment of protesters while continuing to support Israel despite its ongoing genocide in Gaza and aggression across the Middle East. He accused France of hypocrisy, stating that their support for Israel's actions has destroyed any moral high ground they claim to have.

Democratic US Senator Richard Blumenthal called for answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Navy regarding deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for over 250 days. Turkey suspects that Israel fabricated the assassination plot warning to derail the US-Iran deal.