Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “serpent,” accusing him of drawing the United States into a war against Iran for Israel’s interests. In a social media post cited by Al Jazeera, Araghchi said Netanyahu had openly described influencing the US administration in a Hebrew-language address to Israelis.

Araghchi said Netanyahu boasted of having “suckered” the US administration into war with Iran and of influencing America through 1,000 hours of airtime on US networks. He contrasted that claim with Netanyahu’s English-language remarks praising US President Donald Trump’s leadership.

The accusation has emerged in international reporting on the ongoing Iran war. The source says reports have previously examined Netanyahu’s role in bringing Washington into conflict with Iran following joint US-Israeli military operations.