Iran says US 'detached from reality' after winning claims as Middle East war rages: 'Same script, different stage'

Visuals from attack during Iran-US war

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday launched a sharp critique of the United States’ narrative around the ongoing regional conflict, drawing parallels with the Vietnam War-era briefings that were widely criticised for presenting an overly optimistic picture.

In a post on X, Araghchi invoked the example of William Westmoreland to question Washington’s credibility. “Americans haven’t forgotten how, even as hundreds of US soldiers were dying in Vietnam, and the outcome was already clear, General William Westmoreland was flown home to reassure everyone that the war was going well — that the US was ‘winning'," he wrote.

"The media haven’t forgotten either; those briefings full of fantasy from the frontlines became infamous as the ‘Five O’Clock Follies',” he added.

He argued that the present-day messaging from the US mirrors that period. Referring to Pete Hegseth, Araghchi said, “Fast forward to today: same script, different stage; Hegseth steps up, and the message is still detached from reality.”

The Iranian minister also pointed to what he described as contradictions between official statements and developments on the ground. He cited the reported downing of an F-35 and movements involving US naval assets such as the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln.

“US government says one thing, reality says another. Right as US authorities claim Iran’s air defences are gone, an F-35 gets hit. As they declare Iran’s navy finished, USS Gerald Ford turns back, and USS Abraham Lincoln drifts farther away. Different decade, same ‘we’re winning.’”