Iran warns US will ‘not be spared’ if Gaza ‘genocide’ continues
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that if Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip doesn’t end, then the United States will “not be spared from this fire”.
“I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome (an) expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire,” he told a meeting of the 193-member UN General Assembly on the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege, and is preparing a ground invasion on Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas operation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinian authorities say more than 7,300 have been killed in the Israeli attacks.
Hamas has told Iran that it was ready to release civilian captives, adding that the world should push for the release of 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, Amir-Abdollahian said.
Call for release of Palestinian inmates
“The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to play its part in this very important humanitarian endeavor, along with Qatar and Turkey. Naturally, the release of the 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is another necessity and responsibility of the global community,” he maintained.
The Iranian diplomat urged the US “to work for peace and security, not war against people, children, and women”.
Instead of sending rockets, tanks, and bombs to be used against Gaza, the Iranian minister said, Washington must stop supporting genocide, according to Press TV.
Amir-Abdollahian also pointed out the US is watching and supporting the killing of more than 7,000 civilians in less than three weeks by the Israeli regime in Gaza.
“The genocide in Gaza must stop immediately. The forced displacement of the people of Gaza must stop immediately.”
Right to self-defense
Amir-Abdollahian also stressed the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has the right to self-defense, emphasizing that its large-scale attack against the occupying regime was a reaction to the continuation of the regime’s occupation and aggressions against the Palestinians as well as its widespread crimes in recent months.
However, he said, the US and several European countries refer to the occupying and war criminal regime as an entity that has the right to self-defense. “It is certainly not possible to change the places of the killer and the victim by misusing certain expressions.”
“According to international law, as well as hundreds of resolutions approved by this very same assembly, the entire land of Palestine is an occupied land, and accordingly, the Israeli regime is recognized as an aggressor and an occupier,” the Iranian diplomat stated.
The Palestinian nation, like any other nation under occupation, has the “legitimate right to resist the occupation using all available methods, including armed struggle”.
“Therefore, the recent hypocritical efforts to introduce the struggle of the Palestinian nation against the occupiers as terrorist actions will not mislead the free nations and the awakened minds around the world,” the Iranian minister said.
In an interview with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep that took place in New York City, Amir-Abdollahian said if the current situation continues, and women and children and civilians are still killed in Gaza and the West Bank, anything will be possible.
“Two weeks ago, I visited the region and I met with some leaders of the countries of my region and with the leaders of the resistance in Lebanon and also the Palestinian groups ... [From] what I gathered from the plans that they have, they have their finger on the trigger. You know, much more powerful and deeper than what you’ve witnessed.”
“Therefore, I believe that if this situation continues and women and children and civilians are still killed in Gaza and the West Bank, anything will be possible ... They have their own calculations for their own security, and, as I’ve said, they decide for themselves,” he added.