Nov 20, 2023, 1:11 PM
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‘Resistance forces act independently’: Iran denies role in Israeli ship seizure

Tehran, IRNA – Iran has rejected accusations of involvement in the Yemeni Ansarullah’s seizure of an Israeli ship, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani reiterating that regional resistance forces act independently and based on their respective countries’ national interests.

“We have stated many times that the resistance forces in the region are the representatives of their countries and they make decisions based on the interests of their country and nation and act autonomously,” Kanaani said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday.

He called the accusations a type of “projection” of blame used by the Zionist regime to “escape from the dire situation” it has found itself to be caught up in.

“This regime cannot accept that it has been dealt a multi-dimensional defeat from a Palestinian resistance group in Gaza, and therefore, it seeks to accuse this and that, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, in various ways,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman argued.

He said the continuation of the conflicts in the region is the result of the all-round support of US statesmen to the “criminal actions” of the Zionist regime.

“Due to the support of the West and especially the United States [for Israel], we are witnessing the continuous land, sea and air attacks of this regime against the defenseless people of Gaza,” Kanaani added.

Such actions, he went on, provoke the reaction of the resistance groups in the region, who had “warned the US and the Zionist regime many times that if these attacks continue, the resistance groups will not remain silent.”

The spokesman also talked about the issue of cutting political and economic ties with the Israeli regime by Islamic countries. He said that the issue is a key one which has been repeatedly raised by the Islamic Republic, adding that the Palestinian nation rightfully expects the Islamic countries to use all of their capacities. Meetings have been held in that regard, which were not sufficient, he noted.

Islamic countries can take numerous measures in support of people in Gaza, but unfortunately, they are yet to take practical measures to fulfill the Palestinians’ expectations, Kanaani further said.

In response to a question on imports of Israeli-made products in Iran, the spokesman said: “Based on law, the entry of goods produced by Zionist firms or companies that have Zionist shares in some way is banned into Iran where people are not interested in using goods of the Zionist regime.”

But, Kanaani added, the Iranian Foreign Ministry along with other bodies is tasked with assessing the issue that some companies, using unprincipled methods, intend to import Zionist-linked products with or without their names.

He further said that the Foreign Ministry has conducted its assessments in recent years and has provided the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade with a list of those goods and the companies under consideration. The Industry Ministry should now make assessments and take required measures, he added, stressing that relevant bodies of the Islamic Republic are aware of their duties and insist on implementing law in this regard.

Regarding the recent visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia to Iran as the rotating head of BRICS, Kanaani said Sergei Ryabkov Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia's trip to Tehran was in the framework of developing extensive cooperation between the two countries and of course in the form of cooperation in BRICS.

During this trip, the developments in Gaza were also discussed, he further noted.

Considering that both sides are subject to US sanctions, fighting sanctions was also one of the other issues of concern to Iran and Russia in this conversation, he noted.

Referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency's regarding the amount of Iran's enriched reserves and the Zionist regime's nuclear threat, he said that Iran's peaceful activities are based on cooperation with the IAEA and under the safeguards and NPT framework, and this cooperation continues.

We adhere to the continuation of cooperation with the IAEA, and Iran has never failed to fulfill its responsibilities, and the IAEA also has responsibilities and must fulfill its duties, so the relationship between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency will continue.

‘Iran, France agree on need for Gaza ceasefire’

Regarding a meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and France in Geneva, Kanaani said there were no indirect messages being exchanged during the meeting, which he said focused on the developments in Palestine and some bilateral issues.

He pointed out that the two countries have differing stances on some issues, but “we consider this meeting a success.”

“We talked about Palestine in this conversation, and it is natural that our views do not match those of France,” he said, adding, however, that both sides agree on the need to end the Zionist regime’s war on Gaza.

On the outcome of a recent meeting between the leaders of Muslim countries in Riyadh, Kanaani maintained that the meeting showed that Islamic countries are paying attention to the Palestinian issue.

The Islamic countries agreed to try to stop the Zionist regime’s war on Gaza and open the pathway for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said.

“In addition, a committee was formed to follow up, but on whether the outcome of this meeting was tangible or not, well, naturally, the Palestinian nation has not received the expected outcome,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman lamented.

On the consultations between Iran and Turkey concerning the developments in Palestine, Kanaani said the two neighboring countries share common views on the need to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime and the issue of releasing the war prisoners.

“The two countries have good capacities,” the spokesman further noted.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran supports the idea of countries filing lawsuits at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Gaza war, adding that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly raised this demand and expects the ICC to fulfill its duties.

The ICC is now facing a test on how to act on the Gaza issue, Kanaani said, expressing hope that the court would act impartially, an issue which he said had also been raised by Iran’s Top Diplomat Hossein Amirabdollahian during his recent visit to Geneva.

Elaborating on comments made by the Iranian health minister on Egypt’s lack of cooperation in transferring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the diplomat noted that Iran like many other countries coordinated with the Egyptian government to dispatch its aid to the oppressed people in Gaza, but as a result of the Zionist regime’s lack of cooperation with Egypt and international organizations, a great bulk of aids have not been sent to the besieged area yet.

He went on to say that Iran and the Egyptian Red Crescent are almost exchanging messages on a daily basis, but due to questionable impunity of the Israeli regime by certain players such as the United States, the regime has refused to abide by its commitments under international law and got in the way of delivering the humanitarian aids. The volume of delivered aid is nothing special because only 25 to 40 trucks are allowed to cross into Gaza via the Rafah Crossing per day, he argued.

Regarding the interaction between the Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the impeachment of the Foreign Minister in the Parliament, Kanaani said that the Parliament has dismissed the minister's impeachment.

Commenting on the embargo on Iran's sports by the US, he said: We are not facing a sports embargo.

He also lauded Iranian athletes' achievements over the last few years.

Unfortunately, some people interfere with politics in sports, such as issuing visas late, which shows that they are afraid of the presence of our athletes.

Regarding consular support for citizens taken hostage in Somalia, Kanaani said: We do not neglect the support of Iranian citizens anywhere in the world.

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