In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier last night, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that casualties resulting from the violent protests were fewer than has been reported by opposition groups outside the country, the numbers of deaths from which range from about 2,500 to more than 12,000. Instead, he claimed, deaths numbered in the hundreds.
“When terrorist elements led from outside entered this, you know, protest and started to shoot, you know, police forces, police officers and security forces. And there were terrorist cells. They came in, they used Daesh-style terrorist operations. They got police officers, burned them alive, they beheaded them, and they started shooting at police officers and also to [sic] the people. So as a result, for three days, we had, in fact, fighting against terrorists, and not with the protesters,” Araghchi said. “It was completely a different story.”
