Tehran warned of “far-reaching consequences” if the IDF’s bombing of Gaza is not stopped, as diplomats worked around the clock to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from escalating into a regional conflict that could include Hezbollah and Iran.
Iran has issued public warnings and sent a private message to Israel through the United Nations that it could intervene if Israel continued its military campaign to root Hamas out of Gaza, according to a report first published by the Walla news site and confirmed by The Jerusalem Post.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland in Beirut to discuss the situation.
Amirabdollahian later met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, where they discussed the Palestinian terrorist group’s deadly attack in Israel “and agreed to continue cooperation” to achieve the group’s goals, Hamas said in a statement.
Amirabdollahian in that conversation praised the rampage as a “historic victory” that had dealt a setback to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations posted on X on Saturday, “If the Israeli apartheid’s war crimes [and] genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control [and] ricochet far-reaching consequences, the responsibility of which lies with the UN, the Security Council & the states steering the Council toward a dead end.”
Iran’s UN mission spoke out a week into the war sparked by the October 7th assault by the Iranian proxy group Hamas on southern Israel in which over 1,300 civilians and soldiers were killed and over 150 were taken hostage. Israeli retaliatory aerial strikes have killed some 2,200 Palestinians in Gaza, as the IDF pushes to eliminate Hamas.
Wennesland has been among a host of diplomats who have worked to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, secure the release of the hostages, and prevent a regional war against the Jewish State.
Israel expresses outrage at UN coordinator’s meeting with Iranian FM
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, however, took issue with Wennesland’s meeting with Amirabdollahian, an event that was not publicized by the UN.
פשוט חרפה‼️אין מילים. שליח האו״ם @Twennesland נפגש היום(!) עם שר החוץ האיראני. מי שמימן את רצח ילדינו. ולא אומר דבר! שום גינוי!זה לא יימשך כך. הכללים השתנו! לא נמשיך לקבל את הלגיטימציה שהאו״ם נותן למשטר הנאצי של איראן שקורא בגלוי להשמדת ישראל. עד ש@Twennesland לא יגנה בפומבי… pic.twitter.com/BYIhlatvPS
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 14, 2023
He took Wennesland to task for not condemning Iran for its role in supporting Hamas.
“Don’t forget to wash the blood of Israeli babies off your hands after that handshake,” Erdan said in a message he posted on X, that was directed at Wennesland.
“Today (!!!), senior UN official, Tor Wennesland not only met with the Iranian regime’s FM, but didn’t even bother condemning Iran for its role in the massacre of Israeli women and children. It’s no secret that Hamas terrorists are openly praising Iran for funding, arming, and training them,” Erdan wrote.
“At the VERY SAME TIME, Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, openly called on the Muslim world to expand the attack on Israel.
“The UN’s support for and legitimization of genocidal terrorists is a threat to civilization!,” Erdan said.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in response, “All of the Special Coordinator’s meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages, secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes his recent meetings in Lebanon.”
Israel has held that Iran is complicit in the October 7th attack, which came as the United Starts and Saudi Arabia were in the midst of discussing a security pact to protect the Kingdom against an attack from the neighboring Islamic Republic.
The Hamas assault is seen as a part of Tehran’s proxy war against Israel. US President Joe Biden has warned Iran not to get involved, telling it, “be careful.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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