TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / August 29, 2026
Iran accused Israel-aligned actors of encouraging Washington to prolong the war, as Tehran separately reported dismantling a US-Israel-linked armed group.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused actors aligned with Israel of encouraging Washington to continue its war against Iran.
He said that elements inside the US government are attempting to manipulate global energy markets and keep President Donald Trump “mired in a losing war.”
The accusations came as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately announced that security forces had dismantled an armed group reportedly linked to Israel and the United States in southeastern Iran.
Tehran also reported that it had transferred $7.5 billion in oil revenues to its central bank despite the US naval blockade, presenting the figures as evidence that Washington’s efforts to economically isolate Iran have not achieved their intended results.
‘Israel-aligned actors’
Araghchi said Saturday that Iranian intelligence had identified what he described as significant efforts to manipulate global energy markets amid the continuing US-Israeli war.
“Our intelligence shows major efforts to game energy markets,” Araghchi wrote on X.
He accused elements within the US government of using “gullible media” to influence energy prices for personal financial benefit while seeking to keep Trump “mired in a losing war.”
Araghchi then directly pointed to actors aligned with Israel. “Israel-aligned actors also promote war with rosy assessments,” he said, adding that American consumers were paying the economic price.
His remarks came six months after the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, with Israeli and US attacks targeting Iranian military, nuclear and infrastructure sites, killing and wounding thousands of civilians.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and US military facilities across the region.
US-Israel-linked cell
Hours after Araghchi’s accusations, the IRGC said Iranian security forces had dismantled a group it described as linked to Israel and the United States in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
According to the IRGC Ground Force’s Quds Headquarters, the group was targeted shortly after entering the Saravan area near Iran’s border with Pakistan.
The operation was reportedly carried out jointly by the provincial Intelligence Department, the IRGC Intelligence Organization and Iran’s police force.
One person was killed, and six members and supporters of the group were detained, according to the IRGC.
Iranian forces reportedly seized 20 packages of explosives and related equipment, along with light and semi-heavy weapons, ammunition and Starlink communications equipment.
The IRGC said the group intended to carry out attacks against predetermined targets in southern areas of Sistan and Baluchestan.
It further stated that the cell was connected to the US and Israel and that the planned attacks formed part of the wider war against Iran.
$7.5 billion
Meanwhile, Iran reported that it had transferred $7.5 billion in oil revenues earned during the first four months of the current Iranian year to the country’s central bank.
Fars News Agency, citing information obtained from Iran’s Oil Ministry, reported that the funds would be sufficient to cover government foreign-currency expenditure from July through December.
More significantly, Tehran said its oil revenues between March 21 and July 22 reached 99 percent of the amount projected in the state budget for the period.
The figures suggest that Iran has continued generating substantial oil revenue despite the US naval blockade and intensified economic pressure.
(Fars, Al-Mayadeen, X, TPC)
