US ‘will be hit hard’ if Gaza war does not end: Iranian defense minister

“Our advice to the Americans is to immediately end this war and implement a ceasefire, otherwise they will be hit hard,” Ashtiani said on Sunday.

“We have always recommended the Americans not to support the Zionist regime.”

The death toll continues to rise in the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian minister added the United States has made several strategic mistakes, particularly in West Asia. Under the current circumstances, the minister added, Washington has sent messages to Iran out of desperation and fear.

The Americans along with the Israelis are now in a quagmire trying to get themselves out, General Ashtiani continued.

Israel ignited the war machine on October 7 after the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas against the occupying entity. Since then, the regime has killed at least 9,800 Palestinians, including 4,800 children and 2,550 women.

Israel has also cut off fuel, electricity, food and water to more than two million Palestinians living in Gaza.

US military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria have repeatedly come under drone and missile attacks since the Israeli regime launched the war on Gaza.

On November 1, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called upon Muslim states to press for an end to the Israeli atrocities against Gaza, impose sanctions on the regime and stop oil and goods exports to the occupied territories.