Former Iranian FM Warns Against Getting Into War With Israel

Iran's former foreign minister joined ex-president Hassan Rouhani to warn against Iran becoming involved in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Mohammad-Javad Zarif said the entry of Iran and Hezbollah into the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel only serves the interests of the Israeli government. “Israel is trying to drag the war outside its borders and involve the United States,” he added.

Zarif also highlighted Russia's historical alignment with Israel, noting that the Soviet Union was the first country to recognize Israel. He pointed out that two million Russian citizens currently reside in Israel. While acknowledging that the policies of Russia and China are relatively more balanced compared to the United States and Europe, Zarif stressed that neither Russia nor China supports the Palestinians.

Without going into details, Zarif revealed that a hardline group has in a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pushed for dragging Iran into the war.

On Thursday, Hassan Rouhani, the ex-president of Iran, addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, warning that the regime's flaming of unrest is putting Iran at risk.

He emphasized the potential consequences of its being overly involved, directly or indirectly through its proxies, warning that "a mistake, a wrong decision, or an imprecise action could drag the flames of war towards us."

Growing concerns about the potential escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict throughout the Middle East have prompted the United States to deploy additional air defenses, warships, and fighter aircraft to the region since Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on October 7. The deployment includes two aircraft carriers and involves the addition of thousands of troops.

Thousands of Hamas troops invaded Israel by air, land and sea, killing at least 1,200 mostly civilians and taking around 240 hostage. It has seen a relentless retaliation from Israel which has troops the deepest into Gaza since Hamas took over the strip in 2007, with airstrikes killing thousands in the densely populated coastal enclave.