Israel couldn’t have continued Gaza war without US support: Iran FM

In an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network, Amirabdollahian said Iran has received messages from the US that Washington is not looking to expand the scope of the war.

“Our response to the Americans was that by supporting Israel and supplying it with weapons, they are widening the scope of the war.”

Israel ignited its bloody war machine after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm inside the occupied territories on October 7. The regime has killed at least 14,850 people, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women, in Gaza.

In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas announced a four-day truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that will see the cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Hamas said the deal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, will allow the entry of hundreds of trucks with humanitarian aid, medicine and fuel to Gaza.

After seven weeks of massacre, the truce took effect at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday following a night of intense Israeli bombardment. It stipulates the release of Israelis held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In his interview, Amirabdollahian stressed Iran hopes the truce in Gaza would be the beginning of an end to the crimes of Israel.

The Iranian foreign minister added the US believes it can decide who will assume power in Gaza without the return of the Palestinians to their homeland. However, the minister stressed, Washington is wrong. The future of Gaza is determined only by the Palestinian people, he said.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi proposed an initiative with the leaders of Muslim and member states of the BRICS group of emerging economies to put an end to Israeli war crimes in Gaza, the minister said.

Addressing an emergency virtual meeting of the BRICS leaders on Tuesday, Raisi said the members should unite their efforts to break the Israeli siege.

On Thursday, Amirabdollahian met with Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The senior Hamas chief appreciated Iran for its strong support for the Palestinian people and resistance, commending the latest ceasefire as a “political and military” victory for the resistance front.