Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi smiled in response to a question asked by a reporter on Friday regarding his regime’s execution, torture, and imprisonment of Iranian citizens.
Fox News Digital reporter Efrat Lachter posted footage of the interaction to her X/Twitter account, showing Araghchi smiling and ultimately dismissing her question.
In the post, she wrote: “Tried to ask Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi how he can call himself ‘a victim of terrorism’ while his government has executed more than 900 Iranians this year, and while thousands of others have been tortured and imprisoned?”
Tried to ask #Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi how he can call himself “a victim of terrorism” while his government has executed more than 900 Iranians this year, and while thousands of others have been tortured and imprisoned.
He didn’t answer. He smiled.
So the question… pic.twitter.com/ChZ3wRX1CO— Efrat Lachter (@EfratLachter) September 25, 2026
“What, exactly, did he find amusing?” Lachter asked in her post.
Her question pertained to comments on Wednesday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the leader’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he accused US President Donald Trump of “bullying” the Islamic Republic.
“The US president described us as terrorists,” he said. “We have been the victims of terrorism.”
Araghchi ahead of UNGA: Israel given too much freedom
On Monday, Araghchi accused Israel of being given “a completely free hand to do whatever it wishes” while speaking to reporters after arriving in New York ahead of the UNGA, noting that Iran’s goal in attending the event was to “defend the legitimacy, rights and interests of the Iranian people.”
Araghchi further denounced other countries for not condemning alleged “atrocities” committed in Iran by the United States and Israel.
“In the face of the atrocities that occurred – where 168 innocent children were deliberately massacred in a single instant – these countries do not even issue a simple condemnation,” he said.
Seth J. Frantzman and Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.
