US complicit in Israeli crimes, can't be impartial mediator: Iran FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
17 Aug 2024 23:44
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Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani tells his Egyptian counterpart the US is continuously trying to put hurdles in the path toward stopping the war on Gaza.

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Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani (left) and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty. (Al Mayadeen)

The United States has proven complicit in the Israeli crimes in Gaza, Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said on Saturday, stressing that Washington cannot serve as an impartial mediator in ceasefire talks.

"By openly supporting the crime of the Zionists, the US has proven that it is an accomplice in its crimes and cannot be an impartial mediator," Bagheri Kani said in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.

The US "is continuously trying to put hurdles in the path towards stopping the crime of the occupying regime," the top Iranian diplomat added.

Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the call was part of Cairo's ongoing efforts to defuse the situation and prevent the spread of conflict.

A statement by the Ministry said Bagheri Kani and Abdelatty discussed Egypt's efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

Abdelatty affirmed that Cairo is fully committed to alleviating the unprecedented suffering of Palestinians, highlighting growing international recognition of the urgent need for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal.

The Egyptian Minister further stressed the importance of containing the war and preventing its spillover into other parts of the region and informed his Iranian counterpart of Egypt's ongoing diplomatic efforts and communications with regional and global actors aimed at reducing tensions.

Iran grateful for Egypt's efforts in Gaza ceasefire

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s statement, Bagheri Kani expressed gratitude for Egypt’s ongoing efforts and emphasized the need for continued coordination to achieve regional stability.

In a related context, Bagheri Kani made it clear that "Iran reserves its inherent and legitimate right to legitimately respond to the Zionist regime's crime in the assassination of Martyr [Ismail] Haniyeh."

He also underlined that "the Palestinian people will not surrender to the Zionist regime with their exemplary courage."

Officials to reconvene before end of next week for ceasefire talks

This comes a day after the US, Qatar, and Egypt announced that senior officials from their governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with an aim to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and an exchange deal between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel".

In a trilateral statement, the three nations confirmed that over the last 48 hours in Doha, senior American, Qatari, and Egyptian officials engaged in intensive talks as mediators aiming to conclude an agreement.

It is noteworthy that Hamas did not take part in the Doha talks and insisted that the mediators compel the Israeli occupation to comply with the ceasefire agreement the movement approved on July 2 instead of engaging in new rounds of negotiations.

A senior Palestinian Resistance official told Al Mayadeen that the Doha negotiations did not yield any developments as “Israel” is clinging to its positions.

Moreover, a senior Hamas source also pointed out that what the movement's leadership was informed of Friday regarding the results of the Doha ceasefire meetings does not include a commitment to what was agreed upon on July 2.

Commenting on the talks, officials told AFP that Hamas will not accept "new conditions" from "Israel" in the proposal put forward during the talks in Doha.

An informed source highlighted that as part of the Israeli obstruction maneuver, "Israel" introduced "new" conditions, which include keeping troops inside Gaza along its border with Egypt, while Hamas, according to the source, demands "a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Strip, a normal return of the displaced and a (prisoner) exchange deal" without restrictions.

"Israel" also demanded veto rights on the prisoners and detainees to be exchanged, as well as the ability to deport some of them rather than send them back to Gaza, the source said.