In a post on X, Mohsen Shamsizadeh said some Western sides are determined to turn even trivial matters into tools for misinformation and tension.
Shamsizadeh added that the Israeli-funded news channel Iran International amplified the claim with a prominent headline.
“Apparently, some Western sides insist on using every minor issue as a pretext for spreading false information and fueling tensions,” Shamsizadeh said.
He noted that holding regular and periodic meetings by the foreign minister or the ministry’s spokesperson with journalists and media representatives on foreign policy issues is a completely normal and routine practice.
However, he stressed that no such meeting, with the specifications claimed by the New York Times, took place at all.
Earlier, the New York Times, citing three Iranian officials, claimed that amid escalating protests in Iran, senior government figures have acknowledged in private meetings that the Islamic Republic has entered what the newspaper described as a “survival mode” driven by current crises including demonstrations over economic conditions.
