WANA (Mar 21) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reacted to a thread by a U.S. researcher, describing the issue as an example of “state capture” in American politics.

 

“There is a term for this in political science. It is called “state capture”, and it is exactly what the American People voted to end,” Araghchi stated.

 

The remarks follow an analysis by Stephen McIntyre, a researcher and data analyst, who reviewed the White House justification for illegal attack against Iran.

 

In a post on X, McIntyre argued that the White House statement issued on March 2, 2026—described as its most comprehensive justification for a potential U.S.-Israel war with Iran—lists 44 incidents and claims 992 American deaths without citing source.

 

He concluded that the statement is not based on an independent intelligence assessment. Instead, he says the data appears to have been drawn from a report published on June 19, 2025, by Tzvi Kahn, a former staff member of AIPAC, for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

 

According to McIntyre, the report was released just before the first U.S. strike on Iran.

 

A comparison between the report and the White House statement shows an almost complete match between the two lists, with some claims in the official statement appearing even more exaggerated.