TEHRAN – Islamic countries should impose sanctions against Israel, including an oil embargo to punish the regime for its heinous crimes against Palestinian civilians, said Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday.

Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the remarks during his speech at an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

The top Iranian diplomat added that it’s time for certain Arab countries to sever their diplomatic ties with the regime. 

“Israel’s land-grabbing policy, expansion of illegal settlements, destruction of homes and Massacre, detention and torture of Palestinians as well as its blockade on the besieged Gaza Strip which deprives people of food and water is nothing but a crime against humanity,” he added. 

The minister also hailed Operation al-Aqsa Storm as a sign that the Palestinian cause has not been forgotten. “With the success of the al-Aqsa Storm, Palestine will experience different circumstances in the future,” the top diplomat noted.

Amir Abdollahian added that the United States is also responsible for Israel’s atrocities, as Washington has been supporting the regime to the hilt. 

 Bomb targeting Gaza hospital only possessed by Israel

Iran’s foreign minister also held separate talks with several member states of the OIC on the sidelines of the emergency meeting. 

During a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Amir Abdollahian emphasized the need to put an end to Israeli crimes against Palestinians by sending a “strong message” to the regime. 

“Instead of confronting the resistance forces, the Zionist regime has targeted Palestinian citizens,” he stated, adding that “the bomb used to target Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza is solely in the possession of Israel”.

At least 500 people were killed in an Israeli air attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday night. 
Palestinian authorities say the death toll is expected to rise as hundreds of people are trapped under the rubble, and are unlikely to be saved.

The top Iranian diplomat also said that the Israeli regime has decided to commit “genocide” against Palestinians by bombing every building in Gaza and depriving people there of water, food, and electricity.  

“It is necessary to establish a specialized committee of Islamic jurists at the secretariat to be able to take serious action to prosecute Israeli war criminals. This includes not only political and military officials of the Zionist regime but also pilots involved in bombing the people of Gaza,” Amir Abdollahian stated. He also said an archive center must be established at the IOC to be able to showcase decades of Israeli crimes against innocent Palestinian people. 

Retno Marsudi, for her part, condemned Israel’s attack on the Palestinian hospital, emphasizing the importance of providing humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. 

"Conditions may not remain the same”

While speaking to his Kuwaiti counterpart, Amir Abdollahian warned that Israel knows no limit in its crimes and might escalate tensions to a point of no return. 
“Resistance in the region is making independent decisions, and no one can guarantee that conditions will remain the same,” he said 

The senior Iranian diplomat condemned Israel’s attempts to displace the people of Gaza as “dangerous” and stressed that such a move would be in violation of international law and regulations. 

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah emphasized the continuation of Kuwait's strong support for Palestine during the meeting. He also considered the escalation of the conflict as a major threat to the entire region and emphasized the need for an immediate cessation of war and the initiation of humanitarian aid.

The two officials also discussed bilateral relations between Iran and Kuwait. 

Israeli attack on Palestinian hospital is a “a full-fledged tragedy” 

Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, told Amir Abdollahian that the current situation in Gaza including the recent attack on the Al-Ahli hospital is “a full-fledged tragedy” that’s partly to blame on Western support for the Israeli regime. 

“Western support for Israel is not just political, rather it serves as a green light for the regime to continue its crimes against Palestinians,” the Qatari official pointed out. 

He also called for an immediate cessation of Israeli crimes against the people of Qaza and said bodies like the United Nations Human Rights Council should also join the OIC to help rein in the regime. 

Amir Abdollahian condemned the United States Secretary of State’s visit to the occupied territories, saying such a trip has taken place while Gazans continue to lose their lives due to the regime’s brutality. 

“The Zionist regime suffered a heavy defeat from the Palestinian resistance and now the U.S. has come forward in a bid to revive the regime,” the top Iranian diplomat explained. 

The Iranian minister added that U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to the occupied territories shows Washington will continue to support Israel under any conditions. 

“The United States must understand that it is not possible for all parties to exercise restraint while the Zionist regime does whatever it wants with U.S. support. It is necessary to send a strong message to the Zionists and their supporters”

The Iranian diplomat once again called on Islamic countries that have normalized relations with Israel to take action and expel the regime’s ambassadors from their country. “Islamic countries should also completely boycott the Zionist regime, including in the oil sector,” he emphasized. 

Islamic countries must unite to stop Israel

The OIC Secretary-General also called on Islamic countries to act in unison and help stop Israel’s heinous crimes against Palestinians during a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. 

Hussein Ibrahim Taha also hailed Iran’s “permanent” and “well-known” positions in support of the Palestinian cause. He thanked Amir Abdollahian for his proposals and stated that they will be considered and examined by the organization.

For his part, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized the need for an immediate cessation of Israel’s criminal attacks on Gaza, the urgent dispatch of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the prevention of the displacement of the impoverished people living in the coastal strip. 

The top diplomat also repeated his call for heavy sanctions against the Zionist regime by Islamic countries including an oil embargo. 

Amir Abdollahian once again called for the establishment of a team of Islamic jurists to support Palestine in documenting the “war crimes” of the Zionist regime and providing grounds for prosecuting Israeli war criminals and their supporters in international courts.

Upon arriving in Jeddah on Tuesday night, the Iranian Foreign Minister slammed Israel’s attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital As barbaric.

“We have negotiated and agreed with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia to introduce a strong final resolution by the participating members so that we can witness a global collective action to stop the crimes against humanity, genocide, and mass killings that the fake and child-killing regime has initiated,” he told reporters. 

MHA/PA