Iran's Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli actions in Gaza and West Bank ahead of UN General Assembly

Iran's Foreign Ministry released a statement on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly's annual session, expressing deep concern over what it described as ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Gaza and the West Bank. The ministry called on the international community to take serious and decisive action to stop what it termed the genocide of Palestinians. It also condemned the Israeli prime minister's actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which it characterized as desecration.

The statement asserted that the Israeli government, which it said has received comprehensive weapons, financial, and political-propaganda support from the United States and some countries claiming to champion human rights over the past three years, has committed one of the largest genocides in world history in Gaza. It further alleged that Israel has used systematic assassination and torture of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to advance what it called the "evil project of the colonial erasure of Palestine." The ministry claimed that Palestinian women and children, numbering more than ten thousand, are being held hostage and tortured in prisons, resulting in the deaths of dozens and the amputation and disability of hundreds. It stated that an average of at least three Palestinian prisoners are killed under torture every month, which it said demonstrates the apartheid and colonial nature of the Israeli regime and the hypocrisy of its supporters.

Iran strongly condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank and stressed that immunity granted to Israel by the United States, including through intimidation and sanctions against international court judges, human rights activists, and reporters, must not hinder justice for Palestine or efforts to try and punish Israeli officials. The statement argued that Israel's occupation, terrorism, and law-breaking, as well as its aggressions against regional countries over the past eight decades, have severely damaged the credibility of the United Nations and international law. It noted that Israel tops the list of violators of UN resolutions and that the largest number of Security Council vetoes have been used to prevent action against Israeli violations, which it said indicates Israel's role in eroding the UN's standing.

The ministry said that with the 81st session of the UN General Assembly dedicated to "restoring trust" among countries, it is the duty of every responsible government to prioritize support for the rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right to self-determination, and to help free them from 80 years of occupation, apartheid, and colonialism as an international legal obligation and a moral and humanitarian mission. It called for immediate action to stop the genocide, prevent the expansion of occupation and the seizure of Palestinian lands, deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and hold criminals accountable. According to Mehr News, the statement was issued ahead of the UN General Assembly session.