If Israeli atrocities continue, scope of crisis likely to expand: Iran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Oct 2023 19:51
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Iran’s Foreign Minister notes that while the situation is possibly prone to spill over, the region and its players will not stand by and watch as the atrocities continue.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a press conference in Beirut, on October 15, 2023 (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian asked his Chinese counterpart in a phone call on Sunday that China should use its capacities and potential to stop the attacks of the Israeli occupation against Gaza citizens.

According to a readout of the phone call, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and described it as an urgent issue that the International community needs to urgently address.

"The situation in the region is very sensitive and now the urgent priority is to stop the attacks and crimes of the Zionist regime against the women, children, and civilians of Gaza," the Iranian Minister said.

Referring to his recent regional tour and holding meetings with high-ranking officials, as well as the leaders of some Resistance groups in the region, he said, "The situation is very dangerous and worrisome and there is a possibility that the situation will go out of control at any moment."

"If the crimes of the Zionists do not stop and the current criminal attacks against the citizens of Gaza do not end, no one can guarantee that the scope of the crisis will not expand," Amir-Abdollahian further warned.

The Iranian Foreign Minister called on China to use its potential to stop the aggression of the Israeli occupation on Gaza, recalling the responsibility of the United Nations Security Council in the field of international peace and security.

For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the international community should take action to counter the actions of any side that harms civilians.

"The root cause... of the Palestine-Israel situation is that the Palestinian people's right to statehood has been set aside for a long time," Wang said, according to an official Chinese readout.

Moreover, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's readout, the Chinese diplomat said, "The international community must oppose the attack on civilians and the UN Security Council must assume this responsibility and fulfill its inherent role."

He considered collective punishment against the people of Gaza unacceptable and emphasized the necessity of creating a humanitarian aid corridor.

Israeli occupation forces launched an aggression on the Gaza Strip following a Resistance operation last Saturday by the Palestinian Resistance in occupied Palestine.

Lip service with a side of bark and no bite

Back on the other side, in Washington, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan relayed the US fears of an escalation and Iran's potential direct involvement.

Speaking on CBS, Sullivan pointed out the possibility of a new battlefront on the border between Lebanon and occupied Palestine and claimed, "We can't rule out that Iran would choose to get directly engaged some way. We have to prepare for every possible contingency."

"It's why the president moves so rapidly and decisively to get an aircraft carrier into the eastern Mediterranean, to get aircraft into the Gulf, because he sent a very clear message to any state or any actor that would seek to exploit this situation," he added.

Sullivan has already announced today that US President Joe Biden intends to send a package to Ukraine and "Israel" worth $2 billion.

"Well, the number is going to be significantly higher than that, but it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Ukraine, and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist threat."