The Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, addressed his first press conference since his election in Tehran yesterday. Responding to a question regarding Western claims that Iran provided Yemen with the hypersonic ballistic missile recently fired at Israel from Yemeni soil, the Iranian President clarified that it is very difficult to send such a missile to the Arab country. He stated, “It takes a person a week to travel to Yemen from Iran. How could this missile have gotten there? We don’t have such missiles to provide to Yemen. Whoever built that missile did not do it in a day, a week, a year, or even two years. Science and technology are things acquired over time. To acquire this technology within a year of this war (in Gaza) is simply not possible.”
Calling out the apparent hypocrisy of the West when it comes to Gaza, Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran and Yemen share a common stance against the Israeli regime and a common view on regional affairs. “Israel is committing genocide against women, children, the elderly – killing civilians and wiping out generations. These missiles are destroying Gaza, and we hold a common view in protesting against these bombings. In the eyes of the world, Israel is committing genocide there. How come the international community and human rights defenders aren’t worried? These powers, the US and Europe, send bombs and missiles to Israel to defend it. Well, if they are so worried about Israel and its security, why don’t they worry about Gaza and Palestine and the people they terrorize?”
The Iranian President emphasized, “This is where human rights and the civilized world should not allow a person with power, backed by other powers, to bomb and destroy innocent people like this and then blame Iran for what they are doing. We share the same view: we do not want Israel to exterminate people. We don’t want to be part of it, but Israel keeps trying to drag us in. They don’t want to acknowledge their own role. International laws are being ignored. How can they kill women, children, the elderly, and the youth under international laws? Why are they not worried? Why don’t they protest against this destruction of innocent people and generations? They attack Gaza and Palestine under the guise of protecting Israel’s security, but they ignore international laws.”
