The United States on Wednesday called the death by gunshot of a young Iranian man after he had filmed himself burning a photo of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei suspicious and suggested the state was involved.
"The United States strongly condemns the tragic death of Omid Sarlak, a young Iranian man whose body was found riddled with bullets in the city of Aligudarz shortly after he posted an anti-regime message online," the US State Department said on its Persian language account on X.
Sarlak was found dead in a car in the city of Aligoudarz in Western Iran after he shared a video of himself burning a picture of the 86-year-old theocrat with a speech of Iran's last shah playing in the background.
"The suspicious timing and circumstances surrounding the incident strongly suggest regime involvement," it added.
Authorities said his death was a suicide, but family members and rights activists have rejected the explanation.
"This is yet another example of the Iranian regime’s brutal repression of dissent and its ongoing campaign to silence those who dare to speak out against it," the State Department added. "The United States stands firmly with the Iranian people in their struggle for justice, dignity, and freedom."
Videos from Sarlak’s funeral on Monday showed crowds chanting “Death to Khamenei” in one of the largest public outpourings of anti-government anger in recent months.
His death came as senior Iranian clerics renewed calls for severe punishment of those who insult or threaten the Supreme Leader, with one prominent official saying such acts amount to “waging war against God” and warrant the death penalty.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Araghchi said Washington had often raised missile and regional topics in past discussions, but Iran’s position was unchanged. “If there are talks with the US, they will only concern the nuclear issue,” he said.
Araghchi also added that Tehran currently has no plans for talks with the US and therefore sees no need for mediation.
Earlier this month, Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Iran would not stop uranium enrichment or hold talks over its missile program and warned that any new Israeli attack would have “bad consequences.”
He said Iran managed the June conflict with Israel effectively and prevented it from spreading to the wider region. The minister said several nuclear sites were damaged but that enrichment technology remained intact and nuclear material was still located at the bombed facilities.
On Sunday, Araghchi accused Israel of misleading Washington with what he called a fabricated nuclear threat and urged President Donald Trump to change course. He said Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear sites under “false pretenses” and cited comments from the UN atomic watchdog and Oman’s foreign minister confirming that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons.
Araghchi said Tehran’s nuclear work remains peaceful and that diplomacy, not confrontation, guides its policy. He added that Iran and Oman hold regular consultations every six months, alternating between Tehran and Muscat.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian facilities in June after talks over Tehran’s nuclear program collapsed. A ceasefire ended the 12-day conflict, but inspections of damaged sites remain suspended under Iranian law.
