As conflict in the Middle East continues to intensify, Iran’s top security official has made an explosive claim linking the United States’ lobby related to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to an alleged plot to stage a terrorist attack similar to the September 11 attacks and falsely blame Tehran.

In a post on X, Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said, “I’ve heard that the remaining members of Epstein’s network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it.”

His remarks come at a time when tensions between Iran and the US are running high. The US and Israel have continued strikes on Iranian targets, while Israel has also launched attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran, in turn, has fired multiple barrages of missiles toward Israel and claimed attacks on US bases in Iraq and Kuwait.

Ali Larijani added that Tehran strongly opposes terrorism and does not consider the American public its enemy. “Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people,” Ali Larijani said.

9/11 ATTACKS THAT KILLED NEARLY 3,000

The September 11 attacks in 2001 was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern history. According to reports by Reuters and Associated Press, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives after 19 hijackers linked to the Al-Qaeda took control of four passenger planes in the United States. Two of those planes were flown straight into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. The crashes caused massive fires, and within hours both towers collapsed.

Another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, which is the headquarters of the US military. A fourth plane went down near Shanksville after passengers tried to stop the hijackers from carrying out another attack. The attacks destroyed large parts of the World Trade Center complex and damaged nearby buildings.

TEHRAN INVOKES EPSTEIN TIES

Iranian officials and state-aligned media have repeatedly flagged Epstein’s ties with members of the Western political and business elite. Tehran has sought to amplify these connections during the ongoing confrontation with the US and Israel.

US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly denounced Epstein as a “creep”, was photographed several times with the disgraced financer.