In a statement released on Friday night to mark the 78th anniversary of Nakba Day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry reiterated the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and underlined the international community’s legal and moral responsibility to stop “genocide,” end the occupation, and prosecute “Zionist criminals.”
“Seventy-eight years ago on this day, the most horrific human and moral tragedy of the contemporary era took shape with the declaration of the establishment of the fake Zionist entity in the historical land of Palestine, the disastrous consequences of which are being witnessed across the West Asia region and throughout the world,” the statement said.
“Nakba Day is a reminder of the conspiracy of the enemies of humanity against Palestine and the West Asia region, the direct consequence of which has been the permanent destabilization of the region and the normalization of lawbreaking and crime,” it added.
The Foreign Ministry stated that over the past eight decades, “the most savage violations of international law” have been committed by “the Zionists,” adding that the occupiers, backed by the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, and several other European countries, have perpetrated “the most heinous international crimes in occupied Palestine.”
It further said that during the past three years, “the colonial project to annihilate Palestine” has entered a new phase, with the occupying regime using “the deadliest weapons provided by the United States and its Western supporters” to carry out “the ruthless genocide of Palestinians.”
“The crimes of the Zionist regime against Palestinians constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,” the statement said, noting that international courts have therefore moved to prosecute and punish “Zionist criminals.”
The ministry, however, said that “illegal pressure by the United States against international courts has prevented the implementation of justice against the leaders of the genocidal regime,” adding that successive US administrations are therefore considered “accomplices and definite partners of Israel in the genocide of Palestinians.”
Iran also reiterated its support for “the fundamental right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation and apartheid,” strongly condemning the crimes of the Zionist regime and rejecting “any plan involving the forced displacement of the people of Gaza and the West Bank from their homeland.”
The statement further reaffirmed Iran’s “principled and constant position” in support of “the legitimate right of the Palestinian nation to resist occupation and aggression,” the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, and the establishment of “an independent and unified Palestinian state with Holy Quds as its capital.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry expressed confidence that “the continuation of the Palestinian nation’s resistance and the awakening of global consciences will ultimately lead to the complete liberation of Palestine and the realization of the historical rights of its people.”