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Iran has accused the United States of being a “promoter of terrorism.”

Getting into it: The comments came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Thursday, after Trump shared a clip on Truth Social of Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen telling host Brian Kilmeade that “if there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal.”

Esmaeil Baqaei

Baqaei wrote, “The United States, which once presented itself as a cradle of democracy, freedom, and human values, now appears to become a promoter of terrorism, murder, and mass violence. What should one call this, if not a profound moral failure?” Iran’s Foreign Ministry also called the US seizure of the cargo vessel Touska “maritime piracy” and “an act of terrorism,” demanded the ship and crew be released, and warned of “dire consequences.”

This all comes as the USS George H.W. Bush arrived in the Indian Ocean Thursday, joining the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea and the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea (giving the US three carrier strike groups in the region). This is the largest concentration of naval vessels there since 2003.

The ships’ arrival follows reporting that the US military detected Iran laying new underwater mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week and is closely tracking the operation. Trump responded by ordering the Navy via Truth Social to shoot any Iranian boats caught laying mines “with no hesitation” and said he has ordered mine-clearing operations to be tripled.

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