President Raisi to Russia’s Putin: West blind support for Israel root cause of Gaza massacre

“The grave catastrophe that is taking place in the region is the result of the policies of the US and other Western supporters of the Zionist regime, which are doomed to failure,” Raisi said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

He hailed Russia’s positive stance in condemning Israel’s war crimes and genocide in Gaza and warned against the possible spillover of the war to other parts of the region.

“Given the current developments happening in Gaza, there is a possibility of the expansion of the scope of war and conflict to other fronts. In such a case, it will be more difficult to control the situation,” the Iranian president added.

Raisi called on all countries and international circles, including Russia, as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to play a more effective role in stopping the Israeli regime’s war crimes in the besieged strip.

He explained that the Israeli regime has resorted to genocide and crimes against the defenseless civilians in Gaza in order to compensate for its ignominious defeats.

He emphasized that widespread bombardment and the use of heavy and unconventional weapons and equipment against residential areas as well as forcing a large population to flee their homes are definitely among the clear examples of crimes against humanity.

He said the Israeli regime’s leaders are trying to link the cause of the recent events to external issues, however, the ongoing incidents are rooted in the 75 years of oppression, crime, apartheid, and massacre of Palestinian people as well as desecration of sanctities.

The Iranian president emphasized that putting an immediate end to Israel’s attacks and lifting the blockade of Gaza should be the priority of all the efforts pertaining to the Palestinian issue.

He noted that the common stance of Iran and Russia on the Palestinian issue can prepare a suitable ground for bilateral consultation and efforts aimed at establishing and promoting peace and stability in the region.

Iran has repeatedly announced that support for Palestine is among the priorities of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy “but the resistance groups are independent in making decisions,” Raisi added.

On October 7, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm deep into the territories occupied by the Israeli regime. The operation involved large-scale air, land, and sea strikes.

At least 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 others wounded as the Israeli regime presses ahead with its bombing campaign against residential neighborhoods in the besieged Gaza Strip.

During the retaliatory operations by Palestinian resistance groups, more than 1,400 Zionists were killed and above 3,800 injured.

For his part, Putin said that Russia shares the same analysis with Iran regarding the causes of the current crisis in Gaza and said there is no justification for Israel’s extensive attacks on a dense area with more than two million defenseless residents.

The Russian president urged the Israeli regime to urgently stop its aggression, warning a ground operation in Gaza would be costly and would have very heavy military and humanitarian repercussions.

Russia is worried about the spread of the current conflict in Gaza to other areas, he added.