Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel on Sunday, cautioning that the situation in the Middle East could become “uncontrollable” unless these countries immediately “end the crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza.”
“The region is like a powder keg today.”I would like to warn the United States and the puppet Israeli regime that if they do not immediately stop the crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment, and the region could become uncontrollable,” stated the Iranian Foreign Minister during a joint press conference with his South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor.
The international community fears that the war that began on October 7 between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel could escalate and spill over, given the increasing clashes between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Israeli army on the Lebanon border.
The United States has bolstered its presence in the region by mobilizing a second aircraft carrier to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any effort to expand the war after Hamas attacks.”
The Iranian minister warned that “any miscalculation during the conflict, genocide, massacre, and forced migration of the inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank could have serious consequences” for the region and for “the interests of the aggressor countries.”
In response, Pandor called on the international community to “pay much more attention” to the Palestinians’ difficult situation in the context of the “shameful” offensive against Gaza.
The conflict erupted following an unprecedented operation by Hamas fighters who infiltrated Israeli territory, leaving over 1,400 dead, mostly civilians.
Israel’s relentless barrage of airstrikes in retaliation resulted in over 4,600 fatalities, mostly civilians, according to the health authorities of the Hamas Islamist movement that has governed Gaza since 2007.
Shortly after the attack, Iran celebrated the offensive but insisted it was not involved in the attack, during which nearly 200 people were taken hostage. The situation remains highly precarious, with regional powers urging immediate de-escalation to prevent further catastrophe.