“These groups in Iraq and Syria, that are attacking US interests, have made their own decisions,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CBS News in an interview published on Wednesday.
Pointing to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the past 41 days, he expressed Iran’s strong opposition to the spillover of the war to other parts of the region.
“We really didn’t want this crisis to expand. But the US has been intensifying the war in Gaza by throwing its support behind Israel,” the top Iranian diplomat emphasized.
Amir-Abdollahian dismissed allegations that Iran was responsible for a drone attack in the Red Sea that appeared to be targeting a US missile destroyer.
A statement from the Pentagon claimed that the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner shot down the drone early Wednesday morning, which originated from Yemen, as it was “heading in the direction of the ship.”
The Pentagon, however, did not say who it believes fired the drone.
“Yemen makes its own decisions and acts independently,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
In a statement on November 8, Yemen’s Armed Forces announced the shooting down of an advanced American drone as the aircraft was operating in support of the Israeli regime.
MNA