‘Confused clowns’: Iran FM blasts Zelensky over call for aggression on Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over his call for foreign aggression against Iran, saying the world has had enough of “confused clowns.”

In a post on X on Friday, Araghchi slammed Zelensky for “openly and unashamedly” calling for an “unlawful US aggression against Iran.”

Noting that such an aggression is a clear violation of the UN Charter, Araghchi also pointed to the hypocrisy of the Ukrainian president.

Zelensky, he maintained, “has been rinsing American and European taxpayers to fill the pockets of his corrupt generals and to confront what he calls an unlawful aggression in violation of the UN Charter.”

“The world has had enough of Confused Clowns, Mr. Zelensky,” he said.

“Unlike your foreign-backed and mercenary-infested military, we Iranians know how to defend ourselves and have no need to beg foreigners for help,” added the minister.

Speaking in Davos on Thursday, Zelensky called for more decisive action by the United States against Iran, less than two weeks after the start of foreign-backed riots in Iran.

Late last month, widespread economic hardship compounded by years of Western sanctions sparked peaceful protests by merchants across Tehran and other cities.

Iranian authorities initially acknowledged the legitimacy of some demands, but officials said demonstrations were hijacked by US- and Israeli-backed rioters aiming to incite violence and disorder.

Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs later reported that 3,117 people died during the unrest, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel, noting that many innocents were killed by organized terrorist elements.

According to a statement by Iran’s Security Council, the peak of the violence came on January 8 and 9, when attackers carried out “Daesh-style crimes,” including beheadings, stabbings and burning people alive, alongside systematic assaults on bazaars, shops, banks, mosques, hospitals, ambulances and other public infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Iranian minister’s comments come against the backdrop of persistent corruption challenges in Ukraine.

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Ukraine

Ukraine has long struggled with entrenched corruption even amid its war with Russia. Investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office uncovered a major graft scheme linked to Energoatom, the state nuclear energy company, that allegedly siphoned about $100 million in kickbacks from government contracts.

The scandal implicated several high-level officials and led to resignations and criminal charges.

High-profile cases, including alleged bribery involving former Supreme Court head Vsevolod Kniaziev, continue to draw domestic and international attention as Ukraine seeks continued Western support.

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