TEHRAN – Iran's acting foreign minister, Ali Baqeri Kani, announced that Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has significantly transformed Palestinian and regional Resistance into a worldwide movement against Israel.

Baqeri Kani made these remarks during a Tuesday ceremony in Tehran honoring Ismail Haniyeh, the politburo chief of Hamas, who was recently assassinated in the Iranian capital.

"The Palestinian Resistance has now spread across the globe, driven by its bravery, courage, and self-sacrifice," Baqeri Kani stated. "Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has altered numerous global calculations and power dynamics, one of which is the transformation of Palestinian Resistance into a global force."

He emphasized that Resistance is now recognized worldwide as an effective solution, and has evolved into a dominant political discourse on the global stage. According to the top diplomat, Haniyeh's martyrdom has only strengthened the Palestinian cause internationally, making global Resistance an undeniable reality.

Haniyeh had traveled to Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other leaders from the Axis of Resistance. His assassination on July 31 occurred amidst Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza, which has claimed nearly 40,000 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children.

Baqeri Kani also took the opportunity to condemn Israel, labeling it a "cancerous tumor" deliberately established and supported by Western powers to foment discord and conflict among Muslim nations.

"The Zionist regime is not an independent entity but a malignant extension of American and Western policies in the region," he asserted. "Their goal is to implant an impure nucleus in a region populated by Muslim countries to incite tension, discord, and warfare."

He further added that preserving the Zionist regime's existence is a core principle for Western nations, and their broader policies are built upon this foundation.