Hamas Attack: Stop dealing with Israel, Iran warns Muslim countries.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, asked Muslim countries on Wednesday to cease trade with Israel, including oil exports, in retaliation to Israel's bombardment of Gaza following fatal Hamas attacks.
According to Israeli sources, Israel has been hammering the Gaza Strip since Hamas fighters rushed across the border on October 7 and killed over 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the bombing campaign has killed over 8,500 people, two-thirds of whom are women and children.
"Islamic governments must insist on quickly ending the crimes," Khamenei told a student assembly in Tehran.
"Muslim countries should not cooperate economically with the Zionist regime (Israel)," he stated, arguing for a "block on oil and food exports" .
Khamenei slammed Western governments for "standing against Palestine," mentioning the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. "The Muslim world must remember who is putting pressure on the Gazan people." "This isn't just about the Zionist regime," he explained. Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani cautioned "certain European countries that assist" Israel to "be careful not to enrage Muslims.
"Iran, which financially and militarily supports Hamas, lauded the Palestinian group's attack on Israel as a "success" but denied any involvement.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has stated that it is "its duty to support the resistance groups," but that they must operate autonomously. Iran has been accused by the White House of "actively facilitating" attacks on US personnel in the Middle East.
The United States imposed a new set of sanctions against Hamas' fundraising networks and sources of assistance in Iran on Friday.
AFP
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