Iran FM says resistance forces might take ‘preemptive measures’

October 17, 2023 - 22:17

TEHRAN- Iran’s foreign minister has warned that the door will be open to every possibility, including preventative actions by the resistance front if the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime in the Gaza Strip persist and no political solution is found.

Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the statements in a televised interview on Monday night, after returning from a regional trip that included stops in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar.

“During my regional trip and meetings that I had with leaders of the resistance front, they believed that political solutions should be taken into consideration in order to end Israel’s brutal strikes against the fully blockaded Gaza Strip,” he added. 

The foreign minister also noted, “However, in the event that the Israeli regime’s war crimes against civilians continue, any possibility is likely.”

In reaction to Operation al-Aqsa Storm, the Israeli forces have called up 300,000 reservists and declared a long and devastating assault on Gaza. The Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement started the operation last Saturday in reaction to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of genocide, land theft, and siege against Palestinians. 

The regime’s heinous attacks against the besieged Gaza strip have so far killed more than 2,800 Palestinians and injured at least 11,00 others.  

Iran’s top diplomat said that the resistance groups, notably the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, are open to all possibilities. He added resistance forces are taking all factors into account in their rigorous calculations.

“The resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to do whatever it wants in the region,” Iran’s foreign minister said, warning, “Every preemptive measure is conceivable in the coming hours.”

“If we do not defend Gaza today, we would have to defend our own cities,” the top diplomat said, citing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as saying that if the movement did not resort to preemptive action against Israel, “tomorrow, we would have to fight off the Zionist forces in Beirut.”

“What’s important here is that what unfolded in the occupied territories resembles an earthquake that rattled the entirety of the Zionist regime,” Amir Abdollahian said, referring to Operation al-Aqsa Storm, which has left some 1,200 Israeli forces and illegal settlers dead. At least 200 Israelis have reportedly also been taken captive as well. 

The Iranian foreign minister then referred to previous conversations he has had with several of his Muslim counterparts.

“We have reached the conclusion that if limited and narrow possibilities available to the United Nations are not taken advantage of, the possibility of opening new fronts against the Israeli regime is inevitable,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He added that an extensive war against Israel by the resistance front “will change the geographical map of the al-Quds occupying regime.”

Hypocritical messages

Iran’s top diplomat also censured the United States for urging self-restraint in the ongoing war on Gaza, while supporting the Israeli regime at the same time.

“We have clearly said this to the American sides and I once again announce here that they cannot call on all parties to show self-restraint, but offer their full support to the Israeli criminals,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He went on to add, “Washington can no longer send such hypocritical messages.” He said, “I warn you to stop the bloodshed of women and children in Gaza instead of sending hypocritical messages.”

“U.S. culpable for escalating attacks in Gaza”

In a telephone conversation on Tuesday with the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Amir Abdollahian also slammed the U.S. for its destructive policies and for inciting the Zionist regime to step up its airstrikes on the residents of Gaza.

He criticized the American backing of the Israeli regime as a major contributor to the persistence and expansion of the conflict.

The foreign minister said that despite widespread condemnation of Israel’s onslaught of Palestinian women and children in Gaza, the U.S. is supporting Zionist atrocities.

Amir Abdollahian pointed out that 300 to 700 civilians are getting killed in Gaza every day and that the regime’s brutal blockade on the region is preventing the delivery of food and medication through a humanitarian corridor.

For his part, Borrell urged all parties to exercise patience to refrain from escalating tensions and making the situation more complex. 

“EU position is clear on condemning terrorism. And on the protection of civilians at all times,” Borrell wrote in a post on his X account.

He added, “It is in everyone’s interest to prevent a regional spillover. Urged Iran to use its influence to avoid regional escalation.”

The EU chief diplomat also emphasized the necessity to build a humanitarian corridor so that supplies could be sent to the residents of the Gaza Strip while noting that the European Union is working to put an end to the conflict.

The EU foreign policy chief also emphasized the importance of Iran in reducing regional tensions.

Iran warns war could spread to more regions

In another phone call with Micheál Martin, the Foreign Minister of Ireland, on Monday, the Iranian foreign minister warned that the Gaza battle could potentially escalate.

He also denounced the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza, which has imposed a blockade to prevent the admission of humanitarian supplies.

“The possible expansion of the war to other fronts is nearing an inevitable stage. It is necessary to establish suitable corridors as soon as possible to send water and food, as well as pharmaceutical and medical items to the people of Gaza,” he added.

Martin, for his part, expressed worries about tensions spreading to the occupied areas and emphasized the importance of upholding international human rights standards while the conflict is still ongoing. 

To lower rising tensions in the region, he emphasized the importance of providing humanitarian corridors to transport supplies and necessities to Gaza.

The Irish foreign minister added that he hoped the Islamic Republic could fulfill its special role in the region and put out a proposal to resolve the conflict.

Iran, Pakistan decry forced displacement of Gazans

The Zionist regime’s effort to forcibly evict residents of the Gaza Strip was denounced as a war crime by the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Iran.

In a phone call on Monday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Amir Abdollahian discussed recent developments in Palestine and the stepped-up Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza.

Amir Abdollahian commended the Pakistani diplomat for his position on the current developments in Palestine, particularly Gaza, and asserted that the Israeli regime, which kills children, has moved to massacring children and civilians as a last resort since it is unable to quell the resistance.

The foreign minister of Pakistan stated that he was willing to attend the Executive Council meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

He suggested that the OIC’s member states work together to create the conditions for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of communication lines to Gaza.

Jilani continued, calling the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza's northern regions to its southern regions a war crime and an act of genocide against the Palestinian people.

Amir Abdollahian also held phone calls with his Tunisian counterpart Nabil Ammar, his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor, his Malaysian counterpart Zambry Abdul Kadir, and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa over the ongoing situation in Palestine.