Iranian FM says security of Palestine, region interconnected

Tehran, Jan 7: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that the security of Gaza and the West Bank is interconnected with that of the region and "war is not the solution".

He made the remarks on Saturday in a phone call with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

During the talk, Amir-Abdollahian said the only way to prevent the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict and ensure lasting peace in the region is to pay "responsible" attention to "the roots of the challenges" and be determined to resolve them.

Blaming the regional instability on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories under the US appeasement, Amir-Abdollahian said it was impossible to turn a blind eye to these root reasons while at the same time voicing concern about security in the region.

Colonna, for her part, expressed concern over the escalation of the tensions in the region, calling on Iran to help prevent the widening of the conflicts' scopes.

She also condemned Wednesday's deadly "terrorist" attack in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman that killed 92 people and wounded more than 280 others.

The two sides also agreed on the importance of continuing their diplomatic consultations and contacts, highlighting the necessity to remove obstacles to the expansion of bilateral relations in an atmosphere based on mutual respect.

Israel has been fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian faction launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The Israeli army has so far killed 22,722 Palestinians in its military operations in the enclave, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Saturday.