Iran’s foreign minister accused the United States of orchestrating Israel’s military actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip during a fiery speech at the United Nations. He warned that if the conflict did not cease, the U.S. “will not be spared from this fire.”
During his address, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed support for peace and security but firmly stated that an expansion of the war in the region was unwelcome. He emphasized that if the violence in Gaza persisted, the consequences would not be limited.
Amir-Abdollahian called for an end to what he termed the “genocide” and “forced displacement of the people of Gaza,” and urged the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the region. He also argued that, according to international law, the Palestinian liberation movement Hamas had a legitimate right to resist occupation.
Regarding the release of civilian prisoners, he stated that Hamas was ready to release some, and he called on the world to support the release of over 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Israeli officials reportedly delayed a ground invasion of Gaza to facilitate negotiations over the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas, including 10 Americans.
Tensions rose as some criticized the decision to grant Amir-Abdollahian a U.S. visa, expressing concerns about national security. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby explained that the U.S. allowed the Iranian foreign minister’s entry for the UN General Assembly vote on a ceasefire resolution between Israel and Hamas.
While the Trump administration had denied a visa to Iran’s former foreign minister in 2020, this time, Amir-Abdollahian was permitted to attend. The U.S. hoped that world leaders would use this opportunity to address concerns about Iran’s support for various militia groups and their connection to Hamas and Hezbollah.
Amir-Abdollahian had previously issued warnings in response to conflicts in the region, including a recent rocket incident in Gaza, where he declared that “time is up” for Israel and called for global unity against the Israeli government’s actions. The Iranian Embassy in Damascus also conveyed a similar message via social media.
Subsequently, U.S. intelligence officials determined with “high confidence” that the rocket had been launched by Palestine Islamic Jihad and provided a lower casualty count than initially reported.
