Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, claimed on Sunday that "members of Epstein's network" are planning a false flag attack "similar to 9/11" and blame Tehran for it. Larijani was likely referring to members of the Trump administration, considering him and other government officials have appeared in the files.
In a social media publication, Larijani said "Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people."
— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 15, 2026
"We are defending our country against an aggression launched by the U.S. and Israel. Iran stands tall in doing so in order to teach the aggressors a lesson," he added.
President Donald Trump, on his end, said on Saturday that he is still not ready to make a deal with Iran to end the war, saying that "terms aren't good enough yet" even if Tehran wants to end the conflict.
Asked about terms of a potential deal, Trump told NBC News he didn't want to specify them but it would have to include a commitment from Iran to abandon any nuclear ambitions.
He also vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, a key waterway through which about 20% of the world's energy goes through. Trump said that "the only power they have, and it's a power that can be closed off relatively quickly, is the power of dropping a mine or shooting a relatively short-range missile."
"But when we get finished with the shoreline, they're not going to have that power either," Trump added, referring to a recent attack on Kharg Island, a strategic island off the coast of Iran where most of the country's oil exports go through."
The U.S. Central Command said it conducted "precision strikes" on 90 military targets while "preserving the oil infrastructure."
"I didn't do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years," Trump said about the strikes.
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