Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations says the United States’ opposition to a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip enables Israel to continue the genocide of civilians in the blockaded Palestinian territory.
Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks on Tuesday after the 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza. A thumping 153 member states backed the document, with only 10, including the US, voting against, and 23 abstaining.
An almost identically-worded resolution proposed at the UN Security Council on Friday was vetoed by the US, a staunch ally of Israel.
Referring to the United States, Iravani said the permanent member of the Security Council is “misusing its unequal authority of veto power” and has decided to “stand with the Israeli criminal regime, and materially enable this regime in its ongoing massacre against civilians in Gaza” in clear disregard for the united will of the international community.
“The United States is blatantly opposing a ceasefire, which means prescribing war, violence and eventually more death for children and women in Gaza,” he added.
Iravani also noted that Tehran had voted for the resolution given the urgency of the situation and the strong need to address the dire humanitarian conditions in Palestine.
The occupying regime, said the Iranian envoy, has deliberately pursued and perpetrated actions that entail war crimes in defiance of global objections.
“The regime has been pursuing the scorched-earth policy by deliberately destroying infrastructures and residential buildings in a manner that there is no place to live in the north of Gaza,” he stated.
“The situation on the ground entails all risk factors for genocide and definitions under Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which bear responsibility for all member states to impede and prevent its occurrence.”
Iravani also called on the international community to address Israel’s barbaric crimes decisively, protect Palestinians and prevent genocide and war crimes.
Israel waged the brutal war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 18,412 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 50,100 others.
Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under “complete siege” by Israel.
