In a post on his X account on Friday, Araqchi questioned the nature of US-Israeli relations, arguing that Washington’s extensive military and financial support for the Israeli regime reflects an unequal relationship rather than a mutually beneficial partnership.
“The U.S. has over the past three years spent $11 BILLION in taxpayer money on missile defense for Israel,” the Iranian foreign minister wrote.
“It has fired more interceptors defending Israel than Israel has,” he said.
“That is not a symbiotic relationship. It is a parasitic one,” Araqchi added.
According to an infographic published by analyst Stephen Semler, the US fired an estimated 609 missile interceptors, worth approximately $11 billion, to defend the Israeli regime between October 2023 and June 2026.
The figures, based on Pentagon procurement data, internal budget reallocations, open-source intelligence and media reports, cover several rounds of missile attacks and include the use of SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, THAAD and Patriot interceptors. The infographic estimates that the largest expenditures occurred during the June 2025 and February–May 2026 periods, when the costs of interceptors fired to defend the Zionist regime reached $4.8 billion and $5.2 billion, respectively.