The presence of the United States in the Middle East has caused insecurity and division, as it is an accomplice to Israel in committing crimes in the region, according to Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
When commenting on Iran-U.S. relations and the actions of the United States in this region at a press conference, Baghaei said the U.S. has been interfering in Iran's internal affairs, as what they call a "regime change" is actually a violation to Iran's state sovereignty.
In addition, Baghaei noted that the National Security Strategy recently published by the United States clearly shows that it places its status above that of other countries. The report also indicates that the U.S. government is an accomplice to Israel's crimes in the region.
"The United States has been focusing all its efforts on enabling Israel's dominance in this region. This has shown that the U.S. is conspiring with Israel in the crimes committed by Israel," said Baghaei.
Meanwhile, he condemned the insecurity and division caused by the United States in the region. Baghaei emphasized that Iran will continue strengthening its own defense capability, and called for other countries to be wary of U.S. activities.
U.S. presence in Middle East causes insecurity, division: Iranian FM spokesman
U.S. presence in Middle East causes insecurity, division: Iranian FM spokesman
U.S. presence in Middle East causes insecurity, division: Iranian FM spokesman
Deliberately targeting civilian service institutions in Iran by the United States and Israel is the biggest operational challenge facing humanitarian workers, according to Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
The United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.
A large-scale offensive jointly conducted by Washington and Tel Aviv on Saturday struck a girls' elementary school in southern Iran's Minab, home to a military base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and killed over 160 pupils.
"The first attack targeted a girls' primary school in the city of Minab. It was a brutal and sad incident that was unprecedented in the history of humanity. More than 168 children aged 7, 8, and at most 9 and a half years old were martyred. The school was attacked in two phases, and unconventional weapons were used in this assault," Kolivand said.
At least seven hospitals and emergency stations in Iran, including Tehran's Gandhi Hospital, were struck by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Sunday night, causing widespread destruction and casualties.
The Iranian official framed these attacks as a fundamental violation of international laws.
"Our challenges are these direct attacks on the service providers. Just today, five of my colleagues were injured. And this is against humanitarian law, against the basic principles of the Geneva Conventions and against all international laws. One of our challenges is that international institutions are almost ineffective and we do not see any trace of it. That is, we do not feel any vital signs of it. These are our main challenges. We have no internal challenges," he said.
Iranian Red Crescent chief decries US-Israeli attacks on service institutions
