US Started the War and Handed the Bill to the World, Iran Says

TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has accused the United States of starting the war against Iran and then attempting to shift responsibility for its economic and global consequences onto Tehran.

Baghaei said maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had been operating normally before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

According to the Iranian spokesman, the military strikes triggered what he described as an unlawful and brutal war, disrupting commercial shipping, affecting oil supplies and driving energy prices higher.

Baghaei said Washington was now attempting to present the costs created by the conflict to the international community while placing Iran’s name on the bill.

He described it as absurd that a war initiated by the United States was being portrayed as a global economic burden caused by Iran’s actions.

The Iranian official said Washington had initiated the conflict but was now expecting countries around the world to bear its financial and economic consequences, while simultaneously portraying Iran as responsible for the resulting instability.

Baghaei’s remarks come as the conflict continues to affect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and international energy markets.

The strategic waterway is a major route for global oil shipments, meaning any disruption to maritime traffic can have immediate consequences for crude supplies, transportation costs and energy prices.

Iran has repeatedly rejected responsibility for the wider economic disruption and maintains that the current crisis resulted from military action against the Islamic Republic.

The latest comments from the Iranian Foreign Ministry reflect Tehran’s broader effort to place responsibility for the conflict and its economic consequences on Washington while defending Iran’s position over the security of the Strait of Hormuz.