Iranian officials frame the conflict as a resistance against a morally compromised American political class linked to Epstein
Senior Iranian officials have repeatedly invoked convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to attack Washington’s political elite during the ongoing war between Israel and the US against the country.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused figures linked to Epstein’s network of plotting to provoke a global crisis and blaming Tehran.
In a post on
“Iran is fundamentally opposed to such terrorist plans and is not at war with the American people. We are defending our country against aggression launched by the US and Israel. Iran stands firm in this fight to teach the aggressors a lesson,” he added.
The comments are part of a broader campaign by Iranian leaders to portray the US political class as morally engaged in an illegal and compromised war, while positioning Iran as resistant to aggression from Washington and Israel.
Larijani also mocked statements by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who suggested that Iranian leaders were hiding like “rats” during the war.
Iranian officials appeared publicly at the annual Quds Day demonstration in Tehran on Friday, where crowds marched in support of the Palestinians.
“Mr. Hegseth! Our leaders were, and still are, among the people. But your leaders? On Epstein’s island!” Larijani wrote on X.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry echoed this rhetoric the same day, describing the US and Israeli attacks on Iran as an attack by the “Epstein gang.”
‘Operation Epstein Fury’
The message has gained traction in Iranian political discourse as vast archives documenting Epstein’s links to powerful figures in the United States continue to circulate around the world.
Epstein, a financier with ties to Israel and the Mossad, abused and trafficked hundreds of young women and girls while maintaining ties to wealthy and influential individuals in politics and business before his death in prison in 2019.
Iranian officials have repeatedly used the scandal to attack Washington’s leadership and undermine its moral authority during the conflict.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also joined the condemnation after US President Donald Trump suggested he wanted to influence the choice of Iran’s next supreme leader following the US assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war.
“The fate of beloved Iran… will be determined solely by the proud Iranian nation, and not by the Epstein gang,” Ghalibaf wrote in X.
The rhetoric also spread widely online. Some social media users have speculated that the US military campaign, officially called “Operation Epic Fury,” serves as a political distraction from the internal controversies surrounding Epstein’s network. On the internet, the war was dubbed “Operation Epstein Fury”.
Right-wing commentator Candace Owens amplified the speech hours after the war began on February 28. She shared a post with an AI-generated image of Trump standing among Israeli flags and suggested that Washington was attacking Iran on Israel’s behalf.
Owens added the caption: “Operation Epstein Fury fully explained.”
Originally published by Middle East Eye on 03/16/2026
But Elis Gjevori
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2026/03/16/classe-epstein-por-que-o-ira-evoca-o-pedofilo-durante-guerra-dos-eua/
