The Iranian and Brazilian foreign ministers urge an immediate end to the relentless Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip and the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira discussed the latest developments in Gaza.
Israel struck the besieged territory from air, ground and sea for the 29th consecutive day on Saturday.
The top Iranian diplomat said Brazil has made diplomatic international efforts regarding the critical situation in Gaza and presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council on the establishment of humanitarian pauses in the war on the blockaded Palestinian territory.
On October 18, the US vetoed the Brazil-drafted resolution which had sought to broker aid access to Gaza.
Representatives of 12 countries in the 15-member Security Council voted in favor of the resolution while Britain and Russia abstained.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield justified her country’s veto, saying “this resolution did not mention Israel’s right of self-defense.”
For his part, the Brazilian foreign minister hailed Iran’s constructive efforts to help promote regional and international peace and security.
Minister Mauro Vieira 🇧🇷 spoke with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian 🇮🇷. They discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, considering 🇧🇷’s presence in the UN Security Council, and the prospect of repatriating Brazilian nationals. @IRIMFA_EN pic.twitter.com/QcmrqfiOgl
— Itamaraty Brazil 🇧🇷 (@Itamaraty_EN) November 3, 2023
Vieira gave primacy to a ceasefire and dispatching aid to people in Gaza as well as preparing the ground for the safe repatriation of foreign nationals.
Israel has been heavily bombing Gaza since October 7, when the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm in the occupied territories in response to the Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has so far killed at least 9,488 Palestinians, including nearly 3,900 children and 2,509 women. Over 24,160 Palestinians have been wounded.
