Iran calls for “international investigation” into Israel’s crimes against Palestinians

Tabnak – After visiting Ankara to attend a trilateral meeting with his Turkish and Russian counterparts on Syria, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is in Baku today to take part at NAM’s ministerial meeting. In a speech there, the Iranian top diplomat blamed the US and Israel for the regional problems.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Mid-Term Ministerial Conference, titled “Promoting international peace and security for sustainable development” kicked off in Baku on April 5 with the presence of the Iranian Minister of foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Addressing the meeting earlier on Thursday, Zarif slammed Israel as the “main threat” to the world’s security, calling for an international probe into the regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.

The Iranian foreign minister denounced the mass killing of Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip by Israeli military forces and called for international investigation into Israel’s criminal actions.

“We condemn the killings of civilians, including women and children in Palestine. We want an international tribunal to be established to fully restore the rights of the Palestinians and free Palestine from occupation,” Zarif was quoted as saying by the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA).

The Iranian minister noted that the Israeli regime relies on the support of the US and some of its regional allies in committing crimes against Palestinians

Washington’s recent growing support for Tel Aviv, particularly US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem/al-Quds as Israel's capital, has further emboldened the apartheid regime.

Zarif criticized Washington’s unilateral policies vis-à-vis global issues, saying this has led to the expansion of extremism, violence and terrorism in West Asia and other regions.

The top Iranian diplomat further warned that the Middle East is still witnessing terror activities by remnants of terror group and Daesh, despite its defeat in Iraq and Syria, calling for closer regional cooperation against the scourge.

The senior diplomat warned that the US does not observe its international commitments with regard to international security, adding that Washington’s allocation of $1.2 trillion to proliferation of nuclear weapons will lead to a new global arms race.

“In the field of disarmament, the growing contempt of the US government for international obligations and its plans to spend $1.2 trillion to modernize and build new nuclear weapons will lead to a new nuclear arms race. Our Movement should resolutely pursue its disarmament priorities through existing mechanisms, including the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament,” he said.

NAM’s mid-term ministerial conference opened on Thursday under the theme of “promoting international peace and security for sustainable development,” with 800 representatives from 120 member states as well as 10 international bodies and 17 countries as observers in attendance.