US policies encourage Israel to continue massacre of Gazans: Iran FM

Amirabdollahian made the comment in a Saturday phone call with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

During the conversation, Iran’s top diplomat stressed the necessity of putting an immediate end to the Zionist regime’s crimes against Palestinians.

“The Zionist regime’s military attacks against the people of Gaza must stop as soon as possible to pave the way for the dispatch of humanitarian aid,” he said.

Amirabdollahian emphasized that “supportive policies adopted by the United States have encouraged the Zionist regime to continue its military aggression and massacre of civilians in Gaza,” and also play an important role in continuation and further spread of the war.

Iran’s foreign minister issued a stern warning about the Zionist regime’s plan to forcefully expel Palestinians from their occupied lands.

“The root cause of the current situation [in the occupied territories] is the Zionist regime’s occupation and aggression. If the Israeli regime’s war crimes against [the Palestinian people] in Gaza and the West Bank do not stop, it is possible for the war to further deepen and spread to [other parts of] the region,” he added.

Borrell, for his part, noted that tensions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank must end as soon as possible, noting that the European Union is trying to make Israel respect its obligations under international law.

Touching on Iran’s role in helping reduce regional tensions, the European Union’s foreign policy chief stated the bloc believes that diplomacy is the best solution to the issue of Palestine and continuation of military strikes will only make the crisis worse.

Israel launched a new series of indiscriminate strikes on the Gaza Strip soon after a seven-day truce deal with Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement came to an end on Friday.

More than 15,200 people have so far been killed in Gaza with over 40,000 people wounded. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 70 percent of victims of Israeli strikes on the blockaded territory are women and children.