AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has called on Islamic countries to use the tools they have to cut off the economic and political arteries of the Israeli regime to support the Palestinian people in war-hit Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“Islamic countries have tools at their disposal which they can use to cut off the economic and political arteries of the Zionist regime,” Kanaani said on Monday, adding that those countries should not wait for action by international organizations which he said are under the influence of Western states.
“At these difficult times that the innocent people of Gaza and the West Bank are under constant attacks by the Israeli regime, their first expectation from Islamic nations and governments is that they use their tools to exert pressure on Israel and support Palestine”, the spokesman said during his weekly press briefing in Tehran.
He said that while Israel is receiving an all-out support from the US and Europe, Islamic countries should also use “the tool of energy” to put pressure on the regime.
Iran backs putting pressure on the Israeli regime, and fortunately, good legal and international measures have also been taken, Kanaani said, expressing hope that all those actions and tools can be used well to stop the Israeli war machine against Palestinians.
Iran rejects involvement
Reacting to speculations over Iran’s role in the death of US forces in the West Asia region, Kanaani said that the Islamic Republic has time and again warned about the spillover of tensions since the beginning of the crisis in Gaza due to the United States’ all-out support for the Israeli attacks on the Palestinians and that Tehran has also emphasized that the constant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, Syria, and Yemen by the US exacerbates the insecurity.
Thus, those who promote US military presence in the region to achieve their objectives, reiterate such allegations against Iran with the aim of covering up challenges and hardships that they are facing, the spokesman argued.
Answering a question by IRNA correspondent on Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali-Akbar Ahmadian’s visit to Iraq after Iran’s attack on an Israeli spy center in the Iraqi city of Erbil, he said that military, security, and government officials of both countries hold regular negotiations, so this trip is in line with bilateral coordination in fighting terrorism and strengthening collaborations for peace, security, and stability in common border areas.
Naturally, he said, recent issues of mutual interest are scheduled to be discussed by the Iranian SNSC secretary and the Iraqi side.
Attack on the Iranian embassy in Sweden
Most urgent diplomatic measures have been taken by the Iranian embassy in Stockholm and the Swedish authorities have promised to quickly pursue the issue, Kanaani said.
We also expect the Swedish government to be committed to its obligations in maintaining diplomatic places, he added.
Afghanistan regional meeting in Kabul
Iran believes that the regional countries can play a role in establishing stability in Afghanistan and improve the conditions for the Afghan citizens more than any other party, he said.
In the framework of regional mechanisms, Iran has proposed initiatives to help improve the situation in Afghanistan and has been welcomed by some neighbors, Kanaani said.
We believe that we can create better conditions in Afghanistan with the support of the United Nations, he stated.
Economic relations between Iran and Pakistan in the field of energy
The gas pipeline project has been and is one of the important topics discussed between Iranian and Pakistani political and economic officials, Kanaani said.
Gaza genocide cause of regional tensions
The spokesman also said what is happening in the region is not due to tensions between Iran and the US. The crisis in the region is because of continued Israeli war crimes and its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which have been ongoing for more than 100 days now, he added.
Iran welcomes and supports the enhancement of stability and security in the region, which Kanaani said protects the Islamic Republic’s interests as well. He added that it is also important for Iran that the security of international waterways is ensured.
The spokesman said that Iran has received messages from the United States through various channels and has delivered its response via the same diplomatic routes.
“We believe that a ceasefire [in Gaza] should be established immediately, humanitarian corridors should be opened, and the forced migration of the Palestinians should be stopped. Iran still emphasizes that this crisis and other regional issues should be resolved through political means.”
Kanaani meanwhile rejected reports on China asking Iran to help stop Yemen’s attacks in the Red Sea, saying that official sources should be a reference for such issues and that China’s foreign ministry spokesperson has had a clear stance in this regard.
Iran and China have already announced their stances on resolving conflicts and tensions in the region as well as the necessity to establish justice, he said, adding that the two countries have been and are engaged in negotiations.
China’s stance is clear and says that the Red Sea developments are the result of an "overflow of cruelties" in Gaza, the Iranian diplomat said.
Iran-Azerbaijan ties
He further pointed to the trial of an Iranian national who attacked the Azerbaijan Republic’s embassy in Tehran, noting that this is a judicial procedure, so we should wait for the court’s verdict; however, it is predictable that the trial will not be prolonged.
The last session of the hearing was held in the presence of the defendant, his lawyer, and representatives of the Azerbaijan Republic on Saturday, he said, extending condolences to the family of an embassy staff member, who was killed in an armed attack in Tehran on January 27, 2023.
Kanaani also said that Iranian judicial officials assured that the proceeding would be carried out based on legal regulations. The judicial officials of both countries helped finalize investigations into the case; thus, as the judge of the trial emphasized, the ruling is expected to be declared in the near future.
Despite the fact that this attack was a bitter issue in the relations between the two countries, authorities made all-out efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the incident on mutual ties, Kanaani noted.
Iran and Azerbaijan exchanged delegations to discuss different areas of cooperation over the past year, he said, expressing hope for the resumption of the Azerbaijan embassy’s activities in Tehran.
President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Türkiye
Tehran and Ankara enjoy comprehensive relations within the framework of the horizons set between the two countries, Kanaani said.
Relations between Türkiye and the Zionist regime
Foreign relations of countries are their own business, he said adding that the two countries have a common view about the Zionist regime.
We consider the regime as a disturbance to the security of the region, he added.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) interim order against Israel
This issue has had important effects that drew the attention of international bodies and nations, he said.
Issuing an order by ICJ paves the ground for condemning the Israeli regime and is the first step in the fight against the impunity of the regime, he noted.
We hope that the ICJ will take the final step in condemning the Zionist regime, Kanaani said.
US' claims regarding the terrorist attack in Kerman, southeastern Iran
We did not hear anything like this from any official source, he said.
We believe that these claims have been made with specific goals for political exploitation, he stressed.
Escalation of tension in region and Iran's approach
Iran considers stability and security in the region to be in the interest of the international community and does not seek tension with any party.
Such a development does not serve the interests of any party, including the United States, he said.
Iran will continue diplomatic efforts to reduce tension, he noted.
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