Speaking before the UN General Assembly yesterday in New York, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian cautioned: “I say frankly to the American statesmen and military forces who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome the expansion of the war in this region.”
He continued: “But I warn [that] if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire. This is our home and West Asia is our region. We do not compromise with any party and any side and have no reservations when it comes to our home’s security.”
His remarks come as President Biden has insisted on multiple occasions that the U.S. will support Israel unconditionally as it fights terrorist forces. He is currently pushing for a $14 billion military aid package for Israel, and the U.S. has already sent naval assets such as aircraft carrier groups, along with air defense systems, fighter jets and troops, to the region in a show of support.
According to the Biden administration, these deployments are aimed at discouraging Iran from getting involved in the war. Iran has been backing Hamas fighters, who slaughtered 1,400 Israelis and took more than 200 hostages earlier this month in a surprise attack on the Jewish state.
Iran has long supported Hamas with military training, weapons and money, and while they may not get involved in the conflict directly, there are concerns that they could order Hezbollah, another terrorist group they support, to join the fray from Lebanon.
Amir-Abdollahian also admonished Biden for sending ships, planes and military equipment to Israel to “support the mass murder that Israel is committing in Gaza” while only helping very limited amounts of humanitarian aid make its way into Gaza to help civilians.
He added: "If the US and the Israeli regime do not stop their crimes against humanity immediately, there will be a possibility of anything at any moment and the region may spin out of control.”
In previous interviews, he has warned that a ground operation by Israeli forces into Gaza, which is believed to be imminent, would lead to “many other fronts being opened.”
U.S. and Israel warn Iran to avoid further involvement in the fighting
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a warning of his own to America’s enemies who may be considering retaliatory action, saying on ABC’s This Week: "If any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation... our advice is: don't."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also cautioned Iranian proxies not to get involved, saying that if Hezbollah enters the war, they “will be making the biggest mistake of their lives. And we will hit them with an unimaginable force. It will mean devastation for them and the state of Lebanon."
Iran reportedly helped Hamas prepare for the attacks on Israel
The Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of Hamas terrorists based in the Gaza Strip received “specialized combat training” in Iran as the fighters prepared for their violent October 7 massacre. The publication noted that around 500 members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad participated in training conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran last month.
Iran reportedly provides Hamas with financial aid of around $100 million per year, in addition to other support. In addition to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, Iran backs the Houthis fighters in Yemen.
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