Iran has sharply criticized US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him the 'Minister of War Crimes'. The statement came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, who made the remarks in a social media post citing Hegseth’s public comments. According to Baghaei, Hegseth had said that US and Israeli warplanes were flying over Tehran, bringing death and destruction from the skies.

Baghaei described Hegseth’s words as an admission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He further stated that only a 'Nazi mentality' could coldly unleash death and destruction on another nation merely to fulfill a leader’s wishes. The comments were reported by Al Jazeera.

The exchange comes amid reports of heavy attacks on Tehran and significant civilian displacement, with the UNHCR noting that around 100,000 people left the city within the first two days of the assault.