The Digester

Iran deputy foreign minister mocks Trump, vows to end US presence in Persian Gulf

Mar 6th 2026

At the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, Iran’s Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed Donald Trump’s call to influence Iran’s succession, described the US-Israel campaign as existential for Tehran, and said Iran will seek to remove US forces from the Persian Gulf.

  • Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh mocked President Trump’s claim he should help choose Iran’s next leader, saying the US president cannot even appoint New York’s mayor.
  • Khatibzadeh called the US-Israel offensive an existential war for Tehran.
  • He accused Israel of dragging the United States into the conflict because of a delusion about a Greater Israel.
  • Khatibzadeh warned Iran will work to end the American military presence in the Persian Gulf.
  • The United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28 that US officials said aimed to stop Tehran’s alleged nuclear work, and those strikes were reported to have killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
  • Iran responded with missile strikes on Israel and attacks on US bases, and more than 1,000 people have been reported killed in Iran as the conflict widened.

Sources

indiatoday.in