Iran Rejects Trump Claim on 1979 War Start
Iran rejects Trump claim that Tehran started the war with the United States in 1979, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Saturday, calling the account a fabrication. He said Washington was trying to escape responsibility for launching what he called an unlawful war of choice against Iran on February 28, 2026.
Baqaei posted his reply on X, days after President Donald Trump said at a veterans ceremony that America had not started the war. Trump told the Arlington gathering that Iran had been waging war on America since the 1979 Revolution.
“The United States cannot escape responsibility for its decision to launch unlawful war of choice against Iran on 28 February 2026 by turning back the clock or redefining the meaning of war,” Baqaei wrote. “The United States has been both the instigator of historical hostility toward the Iranian Nation and the initiator of military aggression against Iran.”
Iran rejects Trump claim: what Baqaei said
Baqaei called the claim a fabrication so blatant that any reasonable person would see it as false. He said the 1979 Revolution was about reclaiming Iran’s sovereignty, freedom and human dignity, and that the memory of the 1953 CIA-backed coup was still fresh in Iranian minds.
He said military aggression had a clear definition, and no rewriting of history could change who started the fighting. The United States had twice in less than nine months attacked Iran during diplomatic negotiations, he said.
Baqaei said the attacks had assassinated Iran’s supreme leader and senior officials, killed and wounded women and children, and destroyed vital infrastructure. He added that Washington was now claiming victory, though it had failed, and said the war had cost the US administration at the midterm elections.
What Trump said at Arlington
Trump spoke at the National Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, November 11. “America did not start a war with Iran. Iran has been waging war in America since 1979. This should have been taken care of a long time ago,” he said.
The president said Washington sought a “total victory”, not a partial outcome, and claimed American operations had badly damaged Iran’s capabilities.
The longer history Baqaei cited
He cited the 1953 coup that removed Iran’s elected government, Washington’s backing for Iraq in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, the downing of an Iranian airliner over the Gulf in July 1988, which killed all 290 people on board, years of US sanctions, and the assassination of commander Qassem Soleimani.
A second charge over the blockade
Baqaei also accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of threatening to starve Iranians through a naval blockade, quoting him as saying Iranians “have to eat eventually”, and calling it another admission of policies that amount to war crimes.
Iran’s UN ambassador had already demanded an end to the war of aggression and the naval blockade when the Security Council met on Friday.
What it means for Pakistan
For Pakistan, the stakes are direct. Pakistan has already urged de-escalation in the Gulf at the United Nations. The Strait of Hormuz carries the Gulf shipping on which the region’s energy trade depends, and any closure or attack hits the oil supplies Pakistan and its neighbours rely on. Three oil tankers were hit by mines in the strait earlier this month.
Russia and China have urged an immediate end to the war at the United Nations. Trump is due to discuss the Iran war with his Chinese and Russian counterparts in China next week.
Washington does not want a new round of war for now, a US official told the Washington Post, describing a middle path of no new war, no talks and no lasting peace.
Frequently asked questions
What did Baqaei say about Trump’s claim?
He called it a fabrication, saying the 1979 Revolution was about reclaiming Iran’s sovereignty, freedom and human dignity. He said the US could not escape responsibility for its war of choice of February 28, 2026.
What did Trump say at Arlington?
At the National Veterans Day ceremony on November 11, Trump said America did not start the war with Iran, and that Iran had been waging war on America since 1979.
When did the war against Iran start?
The United States and Israel launched what they called a pre-emptive joint strike on February 28, 2026. Iran’s UN ambassador has said an earlier round took place on June 13, 2025.
What is the 1953 coup Baqaei mentioned?
In 1953, a CIA-backed coup removed Iran’s elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. Baqaei said the memory of that interference remains fresh today.
What has Pakistan said about the crisis?
Pakistan has urged de-escalation in the Gulf at the United Nations. The Strait of Hormuz carries energy shipments on which Pakistan depends.
