TEHRAN – The Iranian Embassy in Hungary has fiercely rejected anti-Iran statements by the Israeli regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Budapest, describing them as “baseless” and “hypocritical” given Tel Aviv’s documented record of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

In a statement on Sunday, the embassy asserted Netanyahu and his regime pose a “grave threat to humanity” and undermine global peace.  

“Netanyahu, a globally notorious war criminal and child killer under International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation for orchestrating heinous international crimes, has the audacity to label Iran a threat to peace!” the embassy declared, referencing the ICC’s December 2024 arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli War Minister Yoav Gallant over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. “This is a farcical spectacle!”  

The embassy emphasized that Netanyahu’s regime, which oversees an “apartheid-colonial entity” accused of pursuing the “colonial annihilation” of Indigenous Palestinians, lacks moral authority to criticize others.

“Netanyahu and his criminal clique belong behind bars, not diplomatic podiums,” the statement read. “They endanger not only global peace but, more importantly, universal human values.”  

During his recent trip to Hungary, Netanyahu claimed that “radical Islam led by Iran” threatens Western and Judeo-Christian civilization, framing the Israeli regime as Europe’s shield against an alleged “Iranian axis.”

The Iranian Embassy dismissed this as propaganda, noting Hungary’s controversial decision to withdraw from the ICC to avoid enforcing the court’s arrest warrants—a move criticized as enabling impunity.  

“Hungary’s abdication of its ICC obligations is regrettable,” the embassy added, highlighting the contrast between Budapest’s rhetoric on international law and its actions.

As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived in Hungary on Thursday, the country's right-wing leader, Viktor Orban, seized the opportunity to declare Hungary's complete withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Orban reportedly discussed the implications of Hungary's withdrawal from the ICC and explored potential next steps, sparking concerns about the erosion of international accountability and the protection of human rights.

The Iranian mission’s statement concluded by urging global powers to “prioritize justice over political expediency,” stressing that accountability for Gaza’s “ongoing genocide” remains a moral imperative.