Fact Check: Did Araghchi take a jab at Trump's 9/11 'carried away by firefighters' claim?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following President Donald Trump’s controversial claim that he was lifted and carried by firefighters after the 9/11 attacks, a rumor has surfaced online claiming that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took a jab at Trump, saying that he was carried away to Epstein Island. The claim has raised questions about its authenticity.
Claim: Abbas Araghchi mocked Donald Trump's 9/11 claim
According to a viral post circulating on X, Araghchi hits back at Trump’s claim of being carried away by two firefighters near the US Steel Building shortly after the 9/11 attacks, stating that he was on Epstein Island.
"That day, He was 1,641 miles away from the tower. He was on Epstein Island. We have video evidence," Araghchi allegedly said.
The claim has been amplified by several accounts on X, garnering millions of views as of this writing.
While many shared the alleged quote, calling it an international embarrassment, others remained skeptical and called for a fact-check into the viral claim.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of the Islamic Republic’s minister making such a remark about Trump’s claim.
There are no official statements or press releases from Iran’s state media that support the viral rumor.
If Araghchi had really made such a remark, the IRGC would have reported and it would be widely covered by prominent news outlets, given the sensuality of Trump’s remark.
A search on Google for the claim also did not yield any credible reports, except for the social media posts that are sharing the claim.
The searches revealed that the earliest version of the claim was posted by an X account called ‘InfoGram,’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘satire commentary.’ Hence, the claim is rated as a parody, made for the sake of engagement.
Donald Trump claims he was carried away by firefighters after 9/11 attack
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Trump at an event on Tuesday stated, “I’ll never forget two firemen; we thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen, big, strong guys. And I’m not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arm and said, ‘Got to get out of here.”
“They literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I’m big. They lifted me up, and they started running with me. I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself.’ But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down,” he added.
