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Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned the “reckless fireworks” that took place in Iran’s city of Isfahan, urging world leaders to instead turn their attention to “ending Israeli transgressions” in its devastating war on Gaza.
In a statement posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Zarif said nothing should divert international public opinion away from “Israel’s atrocities” as the offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory rages on.
Genocide continues apace in Gaza. Nothing will divert international public opinion from Israel's atrocities.
Israel's recurring acts of aggression against Iran, especially its provocative attack on Iran's diplomatic premises in Syria, went unpunished by the UN Security Council,…
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) April 19, 2024
“Genocide continues apace in Gaza,” warned Zarif, who served as Iran’s chief negotiator for the 2015 nuclear deal with the U.S. and world powers before it unravelled under the Trump administration.
His comments came after a recent flare-up in tensions between Iran and Israel, with Tehran launching missile strikes against an Israeli diplomatic compound in Syria on April 13. Iran said the strike was in retaliation for an Israeli drone attack 12 days earlier that killed two Revolutionary Guard members in Syria.
Then on Thursday, Iran said it shot down three drones over the city of Isfahan in another incident it linked to Israel, though there was no major damage reported. Israel has not confirmed its involvement.
Zarif strongly criticized the actions in Isfahan as “reckless fireworks” but insisted they should not detract from the dire situation unfolding in Gaza under Israel’s military onslaught.
“Nothing should divert international public opinion from these atrocities,” he stated, referring to Israel’s assault on Gaza which has killed nearly 34,000 Palestinians over the past six months.
The former Iranian diplomat also aimed at the U.S. for wielding its veto power last week to block a UN Security Council resolution that sought full UN membership and statehood for the Palestinian territories.
Zarif called the U.S. veto “clearly a step in the wrong direction” on the path toward a negotiated two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
He further argued that the Security Council’s failure to condemn the April 1 strike by Israel on Iran’s diplomatic premises in Syria was what “compelled Iran to invoke its right to self-defence” with the subsequent missile attack on April 13.
While playing down the recent incidents implicating Iran, Zarif’s sharply worded statements illustrate how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains one of the core grievances underpinning the bitter rivalry between Tehran and Israel.