to report «iusnews»; Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian rejected that Tehran had instructed armed groups in Iraq and Syria to launch missile and drone strikes on American troops stationed in the illegal bases in West Asia, insisting that they were acting on their own.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in an interview with CNN during his last week trip to New York where he attended a United Nations General Assembly emergency meeting on the war between Israel and Palestine.
Dismissing US claims that Iran has been involved in recent attacks against American forces in West Asia, the minister said that no group takes orders from Tehran, and the Islamic Republic has no proxies in the region.
“It is totally wrong and unfounded that any attack, which is carried out in the region and when US interests are targeted by any group, are attributed to the Islamic Republic without any evidence,” he stressed.
US forces have been attacked dozens of times throughout Iraq and Syria since mid-October 17, Pentagon has announced. It also confirmed that several American troops have been diagnosed with "traumatic brain injury" following the attacks.
There are roughly 2,500 American troops in Iraq and some 900 in Syria as part of, what Washington claims to be, a fighting force against Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS). The US has kept the forces there, although, the Arab countries and their allies defeated the terrorist group in late 2017.
Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to stop plundering Syria’s national resources and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Arab country, urging foreign occupation forces and their mercenaries to leave the war-ravaged country.
Amir Abdollahian noted that people in the region are sensitive towards developments in Palestine and some take measures in a spontaneous way.
“They don’t take orders from Iran. They act based on their interests, as the operation that Hamas carried out was a fully Palestinian decision. They shouldered responsibility, took a decision and took action,” the Iranian diplomat added, referring to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas’ military operation against Israeli in early October.
Tehran has made no secret of its backing for Palestinian resistance movements, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed the necessity for arming the Palestinians with weapons and equipment to enable them to defend themselves.
But Amir Abdollahian rejected claims that Iran has played a role or is involved in the Gaza war, stressing that it is the US which is involved in the conflict.
“We are and live in our region and we are not indifferent towards the situation in our region. The US is thousands of kilometers away, but it seeks to interfere in all affairs of our region,” he said, citing US military presence in Syria without the consent of the Damascus government as well as Washington’s support for the Tel Aviv regime in the Gaza crisis.
Hours after the Hamas military operation against Israel in early October, American and European officials promised rock-solid and unwavering support to Tel Aviv. In recent weeks, President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and several others European leaders also visited Tel Aviv to show their support for Israel.
Tehran says the Western leaders' trips to the occupied territories are aimed at giving artificial respiration to dying Israel and demonstrate the US' and Europe's concerns over the downfall of the Zionist regime.
The US has pledged unwavering support for Israel as its military pummels Gaza with bombardment. Washington has announced it will provide Tel Aviv with everything it needed.
“We are in our region. We are defending our national security,” Iran’s foreign minister stated, stressing that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has no proxies in the region. Iran has not had and does not have any proxy war. It is Israel, which is the proxy of the US in the region and has made our region insecure”.
Amir Abdollahian also criticized the US for sending messages that expressed concern over the expansion of the Gaza war and called on Iran to exercise self-restraint.
He noted that the US sends such messages while it constantly provides Israel with weapons and supports the regime.
“We think that someone, who is part of this war, is not in a position to advise others to show restraint,” the top diplomat added.
Washington has made major shows of force in the Middle East since Hamas’ October 7 raid on Israel, deploying two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Mediterranean, as well as an amphibious assault ship carrying 2,000 sailors and marines. US officials have claimed the moves were meant to deter outside actors from taking part in the Gaza war.
Iranian officials say the United States is waging a war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through Israel, and cautions that the current status in West Asia resembled a powder keg which could spiral out of control.
Tehran warns that any Israeli “miscalculation” in proceeding with the policy of genocide and forced displacement of Palestinian people in Gaza will have “bitter consequences” for West Asia and the interests of warmongers.
“If the US and the Israeli regime do not stop their crimes against humanity immediately, there will be a possibility of anything at any moment and the region may spin out of control,” he warned.
On October 7, Hamas launched a multi-pronged surprise military operation via land, sea and air. The group announced it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians. The attacks have so far killed more than 1,400 and injured over 5,000, according to Israeli officials. Hamas also announced it is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages.
Following the multi-front attack by Hamas, Israel carried out heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 8,0500 Palestinians, including at least 3,500 children and over 2,000 women, and wounding over 20,000 others, and levelling entire neighbourhoods.
Tel Aviv has ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying it would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. Israel’s military has also ordered 1.1 million people living in Northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, amid signs it is set to ramp up its offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Tel Aviv will not agree to a ceasefire with the Palestinian movement Hamas because it would mean surrender. He added Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip has entered its third stage which includes expanding ground operations in the enclave.
The bombing, as well as enforced displacement orders by the Israeli Army, has pushed 1.5 million people out of their homes.
The Gaza Health Ministry has confirmed that the healthcare system in the besieged territory has “totally collapsed due to the Israeli war”.
The UN agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "catastrophic", calling for more international help as conditions deteriorate in the densely populated besieged enclave.
Iranian officials say the current status in West Asia resembled a powder keg which could spiral out of control. They caution that if diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli relentless bombardment and prevent a ground offensive on Gaza are unsuccessful, there is a risk of the conflict escalating uncontrollably, with multiple regional players joining the fight.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.
Tehran says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre, torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the destitute of Zionists. Iranian officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced displacement and scores of other inhumane moves.
