Mojtaba Khamenei has spoken publicly for the first time since the outbreak of war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, accusing Washington of initiating the conflict.

In an interview on Thursday, the newly appointed Iranian leader said Iran did not start the war and insisted the United States was responsible for the escalation.

“We didn’t start this war. The United States did,” Khamenei said, adding that Iran had been engaged in negotiations before the talks collapsed.

The current conflict began on February 28 when coordinated airstrikes by the United States and Israel targeted several locations in Iran, including facilities linked to the country’s leadership. The strikes killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, along with other senior officials.

Following the attack, Iranian authorities appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late leader, as the country’s new supreme leader amid escalating regional tensions.

Iran has since launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes against U.S. and allied targets across parts of the Middle East, marking a sharp escalation in hostilities.

Khamenei described the confrontation as a direct clash with the political leadership of the United States and Israel rather than with their populations.

“This is not a war between the United States and Iran or Israel and Iran,” he said. “It is a war between President Donald Trump and Iran, and between the prime minister of Israel and Iran.”

He also warned that Washington and its allies would soon regret the attack on Iran, saying they had made “a big mistake” by launching the strikes.