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World has had enough of confused clowns, Mr Zelenskyy, says Iranian FM

Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister

23 January 2026 10:49 (UTC +04:00)

Iran launched a blistering attack against Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, calling him a “confused clown” for urging action against Tehran over its handling of recent protests, APA reports, citing thenationalnews.com.

The reaction came as US President Donald Trump said an “armada” of American warships was heading towards the Middle East amid mounting tensions with Tehran.

Mr Zelenskyy "has been rinsing American and European taxpayers to fill the pockets of his corrupt generals", Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, accusing the Ukrainian leader of seeking unlawful US aggression against Iran, in breach of the UN Charter.

“The world has had enough of confused clowns, Mr Zelenskyy,” he added. “Unlike your foreign-backed and mercenary-infested military, we Iranians know how to defend ourselves and have no need to beg foreigners for help.”

In an address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Mr Zelenskyy accused the international community of abandoning the Iranian people during the nationwide protests.