Israel maneuvering to drag US into wider conflict to exit Gaza quagmire: Iran’s envoy

“The actions by the United States and the UK in attacking Yemen constitute a flagrant violation of national sovereignty, a breach of international law, and a transgression of the United Nations Charter,” Iravani said in an exclusive interview with Newsweek published on Saturday.

“Compelling evidence suggests that the Tel Aviv regime has effectively maneuvered to involve the US in these conflicts, aligning with its own interests,” he said, referring to the circumstances in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria as well as Iraq and Yemen.”

Iravani added that the joint military aggression exposed the so-called success of the Israeli regime’s lobbying in Washington to draw the US into “a direct war” and exacerbate the spillover of hostilities to other parts of the region.

On Friday, the US and the UK targeted five regions of Yemen with 73 missiles, including the capital Sana’a, killing at least five people and wounding six others. The US military claimed on Saturday that it conducted a new attack against a radar site that belonged to the Ansarullah resistance movement in Yemen’s capital.

President Joe Biden of the United States said he ordered the strikes in response to “unprecedented” attacks against vessels heading to Israeli ports.

Iravani emphasized that Israel has fallen short of achieving most of its stated objectives in the war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

However, the regime seeks a more-extensive crisis than the ongoing Gaza conflict to “facilitate a so-called face-saving exit from the current quagmire”, the Iranian diplomat continued.

“The Israeli regime’s requests from the United States extend beyond a mere solicitation for weapons, intelligence, financial, and political support; instead, it encompasses a desire for direct participation in the war,” Iravani stated.

The Iranian ambassador warned that a “severe humanitarian crisis” unfolds when the international mechanisms display a lack of both the will and capability to put an end to Israel’s crimes in Gaza while the region is under a stringent siege, with essential supplies such as fuel and food being denied to the people of the Strip.

In response to this dire circumstance, Iravani said Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement, driven by a sense of human duty, has assumed the role of defending the oppressed Palestinian nation.

He added Ansarullah has declared that all shipping lines in the Red Sea waterway are secure, except for vessels associated with the Tel Aviv regime or engaged in the transportation of goods to or from Israel. This, he said, portrays Ansarullah as a proponent of humanitarian principles.

Pointing to an all-out siege, encompassing land, air, and sea, on Ansarullah for the past eight years, the Iranian diplomat said Yemen has demonstrated resilience by relying on its internal capacities despite facing protracted embargo and blockade.

Iravani added the resistance groups in Iraq and Lebanon are integral to their respective governments, with decisions subject to governmental considerations, but Ansarullah stands apart as an independent government possessing national sovereignty.

“Ansarullah operates with a distinctive status, enjoying the highest level of support from its people.”