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Israel root cause of all tensions, precarious situation in region: Iranian FM

Saturday, 27 April 2024 8:44 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 27 April 2024 8:44 AM ]

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) and his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has underlined the need for cessation of the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza and respect for the rights of the oppressed Palestinians there, calling the occupying regime the root cause of all conflicts in the region.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks during a telephone conversation with his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel on Friday night.

The top Iranian diplomat reiterated the need for an end to Israeli military offensives against the Gaza Strip and observation of the inalienable rights of Palestinians, emphasizing that the Israeli regime is the root cause of all problems and the precarious situation in West Asia.

Amir-Abdollahian also said the crew of a seized Portuguese-flagged ship linked to Israel have been granted consular access and are expected to be freed.

“The humanitarian issue of the release of the ship’s crew is of serious concern to us,” he stated.

The MSC Aries, operated by Zodiac Maritime, is owned by Israeli real estate, energy, technology and shipping magnate Eyal Ofer.

Zodiac Maritime is part of the Israeli billionaire’s Zodiac Group.

The Portuguese-flagged ship was impounded by the Sepah Navy Special Force (SNSF) in a heliborne operation and rappelling of forces on the ship’s deck on April 13.

Footage shows the moment Israeli-linked ship MSC ARIES was captured in the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/dWU71quIjY
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) April 13, 2024

For his part, Rangel demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stated that the Portuguese government supports the formation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state and calls upon all regional countries to help ease tensions in the region.

The two sides also pointed to the history of good and long-standing relations between Tehran and Lisbon and exchanged views on the further development of such ties.

At least 34,305 people have been killed by the Israeli military across Gaza since October 7 last year, when the regime launched the war on the besieged territory in response to Palestinian resistance movements’ Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

Women and children comprise more than 70 percent of the victims of the war, which has also wounded as many as 77,293 others.

Despite the unabated campaign of bloodshed and destruction, the regime has so far fallen short of realizing its goals, including defeating Gaza’s resistance and causing forced displacement of the territory’s entire population to neighboring Egypt.

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