Iran FM urges lasting peace in Gaza, warns of repercussions of Israel’s prolonged war on regional peace

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warns that the regional situation will significantly change should Israel press ahead with the war on Gaza and expand its scope after the implementation of a temporary truce.

"If the Israeli regime moves to continue and expand the war [on Gaza], the situation in the region will be very different from the one before the ceasefire," Amir-Abdollahian said in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on Wednesday.

The Iranian foreign minister’s remarks came after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced a four-day truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that will see the cessation of Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said in a statement that the deal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, will allow the entry of hundreds of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid trucks to Gaza.

Hamas says agreed to four-day truce; Qatar says ceasefire subject to extension

Hamas has announced a four-day truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that will see the cessation of Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip.

The deal will also see the release of 50 Israeli war prisoners in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children from the occupying entity’s jails.

However, despite agreeing to the truce, an unnamed Israeli official told AFP early on Thursday that there will be no halt to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, as the regime continues to bombard the besieged territory.

Israel says no pause in Gaza fighting, continues to pound enclave despite truce

Israel says there will be no halt to the fighting in Gaza until at least before Friday, as it continues to bombard the besieged enclave.

He added that the temporary ceasefire and the planned release of prisoners have been delayed and will not come into effect until Friday at the earliest.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has never sought the expansion of war in the region and will never do so in the future, emphasizing that the regional situation would have changed in case of Tehran's involvement in the war.

The top Iranian diplomat added that the United States should rectify its policy on lending unwaveringly support to the Israeli regime.

He called for the continuation of diplomatic efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the importance of putting an end to Israel's atrocities against people in Gaza and declaring a full truce.

For his part, Mikati criticized double standard policies of certain countries and international human rights bodies vis-à-vis the developments in Gaza.

He hailed Iran's valuable role in implementing measures to end the crisis in Gaza, prevent the spread of war and promote stability in the region since the beginning of Israel's onslaught against Palestinians on October 7.

The prime minister emphasized the need to boost stability in the region after the ceasefire.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

According to the Gaza-based health ministry, at least 14,532 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, including over 6,000 children and some 4,000 women, and injured around over 35,000.

Tel Aviv has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Only Palestinians should determine fate of Gaza

In a separate meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut on Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister warned against covert US political plots against Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian resistance front.

"The Palestinian people and not the US or the Zionist regime [should] determine the fate of Gaza and Palestine," Amir-Abdollahian said.

Based on the assessments of American experts, he added, the Tel Aviv regime risked facing an unprecedented collapse after the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the US backed Israel "absolutely and unconditionally" to help the regime achieve its impossible dreams. However, Washington has come to the conclusion that Israel is unable to realize its slogans and that the current situation cannot continue, he added.

1.7 million people displaced due to Israeli war on Gaza: UNRWA

UNRWA says almost 1.7 million people (nearly 80 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since 7 October.

Berri, for his part, praised Iran's strong support for Palestine and its wise role in the developments in Gaza and slammed Israel for waging a war against hospitals in the besieged Strip.

Despite all Israel's criminal acts, the Palestinian resistance and people in Gaza succeeded in handling the situation to their own benefit, he said.

Gaza war scope will grow if truce doesn’t hold

In an interview with the Beirut-based al-Mayadeen television channel published on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian warned that the scope of the Gaza war would expand unless the truce between Israel and Hamas holds.

"If this ceasefire starts tomorrow, if it does not continue... the conditions in the region will not remain the same as before the ceasefire and the scope of the war will expand,” he said.

"If the intensity of the war increases, every possibility is conceivable for the expansion of the scope of the war," the Iranian foreign minister added.

He explained that Iran saw two options, “First, a humanitarian ceasefire that turns into a permanent ceasefire. The second way is to threaten the Palestinian people, then the Palestinian people will decide for themselves."

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would never fulfill his dream of destroying Hamas.

He once again reaffirmed Iran's support for whatever decision Hamas makes.

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