Israel-Iran conflict: Countries like India who are the voice of the global south and want peace must put pressure on Israel, Deputy Ambassador of Iran to India Mohammad Javad Hosseini said on Friday.
Calling for a halt in the ‘aggressions’ from Israel amid its ongoing conflict with Tehran, which entered its eighth day on Friday, the top diplomat said India should condemn the action.
“We believe these aggressions should be stopped as soon as possible, and this could be done through joint international efforts,” Hosseini was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“Countries like India, who are the voice of the South and favour peace, should coordinate and put pressure on Israel. As a first step, they should condemn this action so that it does not happen in the future,” he added.
He accused the Israeli government led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu of not respecting regulations and aiming for ‘regional supremacy’ by even killing its opponents.
“Even the Israeli government and officials do not respect any regulations, only their own goal, which is regional supremacy. For that goal, they are willing to sacrifice and kill anyone who stands in their way,” he said.
Hosseini claimed that Iran is in favour of peace.
“They kill people and still claim to be the victims. It’s ridiculous. Iran is in favour of peace and opposes any further wars in the world,” he said.
Welcoming ‘genuine initiative’, Hosseini said that Iran will not accept ‘imposed peace’
“We welcome any genuine initiative, but we do not accept anything that is imposed on us, even if it is presented as peace. As our leader has said, we are not accepting imposed peace,” he said.
“Peace must be based on just and fair foundations. These foundations should include condemning the aggressor, stopping their actions, and preventing such aggression in the future,” Hosseini added.
India’s position in Israel-Iran conflict
India has maintained a close and distinct strategic relationship with both Israel and Iran in the recent past.
Amid the recent conflict, India has distanced itself from supporting any particular country, maintaining communication with both sides and urging peace and a diplomatic dialogue between the two.
New Delhi also did not participate in the discussions on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) statement on recent developments between Israel and Iran, saying that channels of dialogue and diplomacy be utilised to work towards de-escalation.
Last week, India had expressed deep concern at the conflict between Iran and Israel.