TEHRAN- Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs says that despite Washington’s claim to be a global champion of human rights, what is occurring in Gaza is an “annihilation of human existence.”

In an interview with NHK, the national broadcaster in Japan, on Tuesday, Ali Bagheri Kani stated that the United States can no longer legitimately claim to be an “advocate of human rights” because of their backing of the barbaric Israeli war.

“The Americans claim to be a human rights advocate but what is happening in Gaza today is not just a violation of human rights but annihilation of human existence,” he said. “Therefore, the Americans can no longer claim to be advocates of human rights anywhere in the world.”

Bagheri Kani also noted, “What we are witnessing in Gaza today is a full-scale genocide and a blatant crime against humanity. Israel has not launched an assault on any military targets in Gaza because there are no military targets there.”

He went on to say that hospitals, homes, schools, and places of worship are among Israel’s targets in Gaza.

“That is why a significant number of the dead are women and children,” Bagheri Kani added.

Speaking further on the U.S. part in the catastrophic conflict, Bagheri Kani pointed out that Washington’s backing of Tel Aviv plays a significant role in motivating the occupying regime to carry out and escalate its crimes in Gaza.

He also called for measures against Israel. 

The Iranian diplomat added, “Among such measures can be a revision of the political and economic relations with the Israeli regime,” and that other nations, including Japan, could put pressure on the U.S. and the occupying force to end Israel’s crimes against the people of Gaza.

Additionally, Bagheri Kani criticized Washington’s concern for its own interests and cited U.S. unilateralism as a barrier to the development of justice globally during a discussion with Japanese scholars and intellectuals at the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Tokyo.

He averred, “In the current situation where the Americans dominate the world with unilateralism, they do not allow justice to be established in the world. From Iran’s perspective, ‘rights-centeredness’ is a very important keyword in the foundation of international relations, but the Americans do not accept this principle.”

“They see everything through the lens of their interests. Therefore, they do not acknowledge any rights for any player in the international scene and they regard shares for others based on their interests,” Bagheri Kani added.

Bagheri Kani further emphasized that Iran’s “rights-centeredness” perspective, which promotes multilateralism and stability, is superior to the U.S. “share-centric” approach in international relations in terms of fostering long-lasting stability.

The Iranian diplomat said that there is a real movement of resistance in the area, which has contributed to stability, tranquility, and peace.

“The main factor in the fight against Takfiri terrorism and Daesh was this resistance movement. This current cannot be eliminated as it is part of the important effort of the people of region to preserve their identity and existence.”

After Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping regime in reprisal for its increased atrocities against the Palestinian people, Israel launched the bloody war on Gaza on October 7.

The Tel Aviv regime has injured 52,586 Palestinians and killed at least 19,667, most of them women and children, since the onslaught began.

In Gaza, which Israel is putting under “complete siege,” numerous additional individuals are also missing and thought to be dead beneath the rubble.