Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslim countries to stop oil and food exports to Israel, demanding an end to bombing of the Gaza Strip, state media reported.
“The bombing of Gaza must stop immediately… the oil and food export routes to the Zionist regime must be stopped,” Khamenei told a group of students in Tehran, according to Iranian state media, as reported by Reuters .
Israel has vowed to wipe out Tehran-backed Hamas, which controls Gaza, in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people and left hundreds hostage.
Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege on the enclave. Palestinian authorities say more than 8,000 people have been killed.
Iranian clerics have warned Israel of escalation if it fails to end its aggression against Palestinians, and authorities have indicated that Tehran-backed proxies in the Middle East are ready to take action.
Supporting the Palestinian cause has been a political pillar of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is how the Shiite Muslim theocracy established Iran as a leader in the Muslim world.
Khamenei, Iran’s highest authority, said the United States (US) was involved in “Israel’s recent crimes against Palestinians”.
“The Islamic world must not forget that on the crucial issue in Gaza, the parties opposing the oppressed Palestinian people are the United States, France and Britain,” said Khamenei accompanied by shouts of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.
Israel, which Tehran does not want to recognize, has long accused Iranian clerics of inciting violence by supplying weapons to Hamas. Tehran says it provides moral and financial support to the group that controls the Gaza Strip.
“One of the shameless actions of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism,” said Khamenei.
Source : Okezone
