US using specter of 'imaginary enemy' to frighten its people, Baghaei says

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has said that the United States is using the specter of an “imaginary enemy” to frighten Americans. In a message posted on his X account on Saturday, Baqaei responded to US President Donald Trump’s claim about the possibility of Iranian attacks on Los Angeles and San Diego, which Trump described as “a very small price to pay". “To frighten their own people, they conjure up an imaginary enemy in the sky to overshadow the real threat on the ground,” the Iranian spokesman wrote. “The real danger lies neither beyond their borders nor in the skies over Los Angeles and San Diego. It lies in a ruling establishment that has imposed an illegal war on the world, with global consequences,” he added. To frighten their own people, they conjure up an imaginary enemy in the sky to overshadow the real threat on the ground. The real danger lies neither beyond their borders nor in the skies over Los Angeles and San Diego. It lies in a ruling establishment that has imposed an illegal war on the world, with global consequences. The U.S. president has even described the destruction of Los Angeles and San Diego as “a very small price to pay.” This is a textbook example of the politics of fear: frightening people with an imaginary threat, portraying the destruction of their own cities as an acceptable price to pay, and diverting their attention from the real danger. — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) October 10, 2026