Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani warned that the continuation of this “barbaric approach” by the Zionist regime can inflame the situation in the region and spin it out of control.
“The Palestinian nation has the right to defend itself, and the regional resistance will not turn a blind eye to the Zionist crimes,” Kanaani said.
He said amid the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip and the brutal attacks of the Zionist regime on civilians, “we are witnessing a historic courage from a zealous nation that has a thousand-year history in the land of Palestine.”
The Zionists, stated Kanaani, are faced with the natural reaction of the Palestinian nation against such cruelty and oppression. “Today, the Palestinians are the most oppressed nation in the world,” he said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also highlighted the bitter irony that while Monday marks World Food Day, the Zionists are depriving the oppressed Palestinian children of access to food and water, among other basic needs.
“It is deeply regrettable that those who claim to advocate human rights while pursuing their political goals under this slogan have turned a blind eye to the images coming out of Gaza today,” he said.
Kanaani then asked, rhetorically, whether Western countries would form a so-called fact-finding committee in this regard. “Will they try the Zionist regime in international courts?” he added.
“Today, the responsibility of the supporters of the Zionists in these crimes is the same as the forces of this regime.”
Support for Palestine
This is the international societies’ and governments’ responsibility to support Palestine, the spokesman underlined.
And Iran, too, as a committed country which pursues rights of the oppressed worldwide has been following up support for the Palestinians in various areas for years, he added.
The spokesman went on to say that the highest priority is to cease crimes being committed by the Zionists against Gaza, put an end to bombardment of the residential areas and dispatch humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Regional tour of Iran FM
Speaking about the recent regional tour of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the spokesman said it took place in a bid for extending support for the Palestinian people.
As he said, Amirabdollahian visited Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Qatar and met with the officials in the neighboring countries as well as the leaders of the Resistance groups to review ways how to halt the Zionists crimes.
Raisi’s phone calls with world countries’ officials
Kanaani talked of the recent telephone conversations held between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and a number of world officials to exchange views about the developments in Palestine.
Following the talks, the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation have decided to meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, within next two days, Kanaani said describing such a meeting as a proper opportunity to draw the attention of the Islamic countries to Palestine.
And, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its related diplomatic efforts, Kanaani underlined.
Israeli crimes must be documented
Kanaani said that the documentation of the Zionist regimes’ war crimes is an obligation that international bodies and non-governmental organizations can play a key role in this respect and that such documentation can be followed up seriously in the near future so that Zionist criminals can be brought to justice at international courts.
So-called normalization of ties with Zionist regime
If certain states were of the opinion that thanks to normalizing relations with the Zionist regime, they would guarantee their own security, they now see that the regime is incapable of maintaining its own safety, the spokesman argued.
The issue, that certain governments pursued or now seek normalization with the Zionist regime, will not affect the Palestinian people's determination to stand against the regime with the aim of liberating their occupied territories and reinstating their lost rights, he added.
Extension of Gaza crisis
Kanaani went on to say that we (the Iranian authorities) are all concerned about the escalation of the crisis in the Gaza Strip and that we continue consulting with various states in this respect; however, we hope that the international community would fulfill its duty at this juncture.
We are of the opinion that occupation is the root cause of the crisis and tension in the West Asia region, and as long as the phenomenon exists and certain countries support it, as a result, tension and insecurity will persist in the region, the Iranian official warned.
The United Nations Security Council can play a key role in dealing with the crisis; thus, they are expected to fulfill their task appropriately, he urged, adding that Iran holds negotiations with Russia and China as permanent members of the Security Council in pursuit of this objective.
Kanaani also censured vain attempts to vilify the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas over the dire situation in Gaza, saying the Palestinian resistance has been fighting on behalf of the Palestinian nation against the Zionist regime.
Blaming the resistance group for the current situation is an attempt to change the places of the oppressor and the oppressed, he maintained.
The spokesman slammed the relentless Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip as a “war crime”, citing reports of the repeated use of prohibited weapons as well as the cutting off of water, food and medicine supplies to the territory as examples.
Everything will be possible if the Zionist regime continues such inhumane policies, he warned.
On the possibility of Iran directly entering the war against the Zionist regime, Kanaani said, “We do not attach much importance to such claims. What was done was the action of the Palestinian resistance groups against the Zionists.”
“Making such claims is an attempt to divert public attention regarding the US’s unconditional support for the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation,” he added.
He also asserted that the US government must be held to account for the crimes of the Zionist regime, pointing to its sending of an aircraft carrier to regional waters as “nothing but supporting the oppressor.”
“We believe any party that supports the Zionist regime bears the same international responsibility and must be held to account before the Palestinian nation.”
US involvement in regional events
Asked about the possible military engagement of the United States in the ongoing regional developments, the spokesman said the Islamic Republic believes that the US has now involved in the current war between the Zionist regime of Israel and the Resistance.
The American officials had announced that they would send aircraft carriers to the region, Kanaani said stressing that they did so after dispatching the second aircraft carrier, giving eight billion dollars to the Israeli regime and helping Iron Dome equip its rocket reserves.
Today, the people have gone to the streets in different world countries to support the Palestinians, the spokesman said.
As Kanaani noted, continuation of such crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people will lead to a war against the Zionist regime.
Rafah crossing
Elsewhere, the spokesman referred to Rafah crossing on border between Gaza and Egypt as the only way to send aid to the stricken people in the Strip.
Meanwhile, the Zionists have put pressure to not let the crossing be opened, Kanaani underlined.
The oppressed Palestinians expect the global community to take due measure towards the issue, and this is their right to express such an expectation, he noted.
Iran has held talks with Egypt on the Rafah crossing issue; meanwhile, Cairo says the issue needs the International Committee of the Red Cross involvement, so Iran connected with the ICRC, said the spokesman expressing hope that the Egyptian government would continue its efforts to open the crossing.
The resistance movement repeatedly cautioned the Zionist regime to stop assassinating the Palestinians and storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque, because the holy place is considered their red line, but the regime neglected the warnings, Kanaani said.
The resistance movement expects the international community to put an end to the Zionists’ crimes against Palestinian civilians, pave the way for lifting the siege on the oppressed nation, and help open a humanitarian corridor for the transfer of the injured ones, the Foreign Ministry spokesman noted.
We (the Iranian officials) have heard from the resistance groups that they have no problem to continue the fight and they have enough military strength to go ahead in the battlefield, he said, arguing that it is the Zionist regime that extended the battleground to public areas.
According to the diplomat, Iran has shown that it never turns its back on supporting the Palestinian people; so, we have time after time announced our support for the resistance, and this is not a secret issue, because backing Gaza is a humanitarian responsibility.
As to a recent meeting between Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Head of Hamas's Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, the spokesman mentioned that at the same time when the two officials were meeting in Doha, Qatar, the Zionist regime carried out strikes, which led to a significant number of casualties mostly from one family in three residential complexes in Gaza.
In the mentioned meeting, a Hamas official told the Iranian delegation that he lost more than 10 family members in an Israeli attack, he added.
One Belt One Road initiative
With regard to the One Belt One Road initiative, Kanaani said that Iran has welcomed the initiative and taken steps to this end.
Projects like this are pursued in line with securing both sides’ interests, he said, adding that the Islamic Republic advocates the initiative.
Iran has held constructive talks with China on the issue, he added.
Touching on the remarks of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the disputes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, he said that what matters to us is peace and stability in Caucasus region.
Resolving disputes through diplomacy could benefit all countries in the region, Kanaani said, terming the regional mechanisms as the only solutions.
On Iran-Iraq talks pertaining to security agreements, the official said that the both sides have had proper talks.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman went on to say that further steps will be taken to implement in this regard.
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