Iran FM says Palestine, Middle East region security interconnected ‘war not the solution’

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
WASHINGTON DC, 8th Jan. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday has said that the security of Gaza and the West Bank is interconnected with the Middle East region and “war is not the solution”.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Saturday in a phone call with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, news media reports cited a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Amir-Abdollahian said the only way to prevent the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict and ensure lasting peace in the region is to pay “responsible” attention to “the roots of the challenges” and be determined to resolve them, during his meeting.

Amir-Abdollahian said it was impossible to turn a blind eye to these root reasons while at the same time voicing concern about security in the region, as he blamed the regional instability on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories under the US appeasement.

Ms. Catherine Colonna expressed concern over the escalation of the tensions in the region, called on Iran to help prevent the widening of the conflicts’ scopes.

She condemned Wednesday’s deadly “terrorist” attack in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman that killed 92 people and wounded more than 280 others.

Both agreed on the importance of continuing their diplomatic consultations and contacts, highlighted the necessity to remove obstacles to the expansion of bilateral relations in an atmosphere based on mutual respect.

Israel has waged a war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 peopl and took over 239 people hostage.

Over 22,722 Palestinians has been killed by the Israeli army in its military operations in Gaza, said the Gaza Health Ministry.