Tehran comments on Israel”s Gaza displacement plan
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esma”eel Baghaei while referring to Iran”s efforts to hold a meeting of the Organization of Islamic States has said that the plan to forcibly relocate the people of Gaza from the occupied Palestine is the continuation of genocide in another way, that is, by using political tools.
Speaking In a televised interview about the needs, details and agenda of the meeting of the Organization of Islamic States, Baghaei said that the purpose of the request to hold a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was to draw the attention of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation as the most important organization in the Islamic world to an issue that is the main concern of the society and Islamic countries, and that is nothing but a warning about the continuing danger of genocide of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.
“Also, another agenda will be to investigate the dangerous events that are happening in the West Bank. The most important existential philosophy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is the Palestine cause, that is, from the beginning of the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, it was to address the cause of the Palestinian people, which was the effort to gain the right to self-determination and freedom from occupation,” the spokesperson said.
Baghaei pointed out that it is natural that this organization should hold a meeting in the current situation where the Palestinian people are facing an unprecedented crisis, saying that a crisis that was well faced with resistance during the 17 months of the “Zionist regime”s genocide”, is currently taking place in a different way by using political tools.
“Today”s plans, which are based on the forced relocation of the people of Gaza from the occupied Palestine, are the continuation of genocide in another way, that is, by using political tools, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed it as an effective member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and a responsible country in the region and a country that has always supported the cause of the Palestinian people. Previously, meetings of Islamic cooperation both at the level of heads and at the level of foreign ministers have been held mainly at the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the spokesperson said.
Source: Marzieh Rahmani
South Africa “strongly” condemns Israel”s aid block to Gaza
In a statement on Wednesday, it denounced Israel for blocking the entry of food into the besieged Gaza Strip, saying the regime has been using starvation as a weapon of war against the people of Gaza.
“Preventing food from entering Gaza is a continuation of Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war as part of the ongoing campaign of what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled to be plausible genocide against the Palestinian people,” the ministry said, referring to Pretoria’s case against Israel at the ICJ.
“The people of Gaza are experiencing immeasurable suffering and urgently need food, shelter and medical supplies,” the statement said.
“South Africa calls on the international community to hold Israel accountable.”
A ceasefire agreement, reached in January, has allowed the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
On March 2, Israel announced it was blocking aid deliveries until Hamas accepted its terms for an extension of the ceasefire agreement.
Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase of the ceasefire until mid-April. Hamas is against this.
The Palestinian resistance movement has insisted on a transition to the deal’s second phase, which would allow for a permanent end to the regime’s campaign of genocide.
In December 2023, South Africa brought a case before the ICJ that argued the actions of the Israeli regime during the war in Gaza breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.
Since then, several nations have added their political weight to the proceedings, including Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Spain and Turkey.
South Africa has also condemned Israel’s aggression in the occupied West Bank, which has expanded to more areas of Jenin.
The regime’s operation in the occupied West Bank began after the January ceasefire agreement took effect and is one of the largest since the Second Intifada in the 1990s.
South Africa says the offensive has been “a dangerous escalation.” It, the statement says, “further threatens the Palestinian quest for self-determination and statehood.”
The regime has claimed it intends to battle Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters that supposedly operate in the occupied territory.
Israel’s aggression has since expanded to more areas and displaced tens of thousands of people.
Source: Marzieh Rahmani
West’s ‘ineffective’ pressure campaign against Iran to backfire: Envoy
Speaking at a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, Naziri Asl addressed Western-sponsored censure resolutions against Tehran and the continued imposition of sanctions over unsubstantiated claims that Iran seeks nuclear weapons.
He underscored the failure of Western parties to uphold their commitments under the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, a failure that began with the US withdrawal from the accord in 2018 and was further exacerbated by the inability of the remaining European signatories – France, Germany, and Britain – to compensate for Washington’s exit.
Naziri Asl said Iran’s decision to scale back some of its commitments was a direct response to these violations, in line with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, which grant Iran the right to take remedial action if other parties fail to uphold their obligations.
He reiterated that Iran’s remedial measures under the nuclear agreement will be abandoned only if sanctions by the United States, the European Union, and three European parties to the accord are lifted in a manner that is both effective and verifiable.
“Experience has shown that the policy of pressure pursued by certain parties is not only ineffective but also counterproductive,” he underlined.
The Iranian envoy also dismissed any attempts by the European parties to invoke the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism.
Since France, Germany, and Britain – known as the E3 – have themselves violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, they lack the legitimacy to trigger the dispute resolution mechanism in response to Iran’s remedial actions, the envoy argued.
“The E3 cannot pursue the same legal course against Iran, as such an action contradicts both the purpose of the dispute resolution mechanism within the JCPOA and the fundamental principles of international law among civilized nations.”
He said attempting to invoke the snapback mechanism would be “legally baseless, unjust, and strongly rejected.”
With the JCPOA’s so-called ‘Termination Day’ approaching, Naziri Asl urged all the IAEA member states to focus their efforts on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the nuclear agreement.
He warned against allowing years of international diplomacy and investment in the agreement to be undermined.
“It is our responsibility to preserve this achievement. We call on all member states to fully implement the provisions of Resolution 2231, including its specified timeline.”
Responding to Western accusations that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, the envoy reaffirmed that Iran firmly rejects weapons of mass destruction (WMD) based on its ideological and strategic principles, considering them outdated, inhumane, and a threat to global peace and security.
Termination Day is the date when the remaining UN sanctions on Iran are scheduled to be lifted, marking a final step in the JCPOA’s implementation.
Originally set for October 2025, this milestone signifies the official conclusion of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program under the deal.
However, European powers are exploring ways to trigger the snapback mechanism, using Iran’s remedial measures as a pretext.
This mechanism, which is embedded in Resolution 2231, allows any signatory to re-impose UN sanctions if Iran is found to be in “significant non-compliance.”
In 2020, the Trump administration attempted to activate the snapback despite having withdrawn from the JCPOA. The move was widely rejected by the international community, notably the UN Security Council.
Source: Ifp Media Wire
US engaged in direct talks with Hamas: White House
President Donald Trump’s administration dispatched Adam Boehler, Washington’s point man on American captives held overseas, to discuss the fate of the country’s captives, who are held in Gaza, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
“Engaging in discussions globally to serve the best interests of the American people is something the President believes in,” she said during a press briefing. “The President believes it is the right thing for the American people,” she added.
The remarks came while the United States has designated Hamas as a “terrorist organization.”
It took the move in 1997 due to the movement’s unyielding resolve to resist US-backed Israeli occupation and aggression.
The resolve has featured the group and its fellow resistance factions conducting numerous and incessant successful operations against the Israeli regime, Washington’s most cherished regional ally, facing up to Tel Aviv’s genocidal atrocities as well as other war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians.
Leavitt, however, claimed that Boehler, in his capacity as captive affairs’ envoy, “has the authority to speak with any relevant parties.”
The remarks came hours after American website Axios carried a report pointing to the discussions, citing “sources familiar with the matter.”
According to the sources, the report had said, Boehler had conducted clandestine meetings with Hamas’ officials in the Qatari capital Doha over recent weeks.
The primary focus of the discussions was the release of the American captives, with a purported potential to also cover a comprehensive truce in Gaza, it had added.
The Israeli regime began taking the Palestinian territory under a genocidal war in October 2023.
A ceasefire agreement began being implemented in January after the regime approved of the deal amid numerous successful operations by Hamas and Gaza’s other resistance groups against the invading Israeli forces as well as sensitive and strategic Israeli targets.
The regime, though, has been routinely violating the accord, killing hundreds more Palestinians in addition to the roughly 48,000 people, mostly women and children, whom it had killed during the war.
Still addressing the issue of discussions between the US and Hamas, Leavitt noted that “Israel was consulted on this matter.”
Axios’ report had, however, claimed that “while the Trump administration [had] consulted with Israel about the possibility of engaging with Hamas, Israel learned about aspects of the talks through other channels.”
The claim came despite overt and comprehensive intelligence cooperation between Washington and Tel Aviv, which is aimed at boosting the two sides’ robust military and political collaboration.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu”s office also acknowledged the reported discussions, saying the regime had expressed its views on the issue.
As of now, Hamas is reportedly holding 59 captives in Gaza, down from 240 Zionists, whom Palestinian fighters ensnared during a historic resistance operation targeting the occupied Palestinian territories on October 7, 2023.
Source: Marzieh Rahmani
Russian missile strike claims two lives in Zelensky” hometown
The attack highlights the persistent violence in Ukraine, occurring despite reported progress in peace negotiations. This incident underscores the vulnerability of civilian areas and raises critical concerns about the efficacy of diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict.
Over the course of the three-year conflict, Kryvyi Rih has endured numerous attacks. The latest missile strike occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Kyiv and Washington, adding further complexity to the situation. The suspension of US military and intelligence aid to Ukraine has further compounded these rising tensions.
The Governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, confirmed the casualties on Thursday morning. He stated that 20 of the injured sustained serious wounds and reported that 14 individuals were successfully rescued from the rubble.
The military head of Kryvyi Rih,Oleksandr Vilkul, reported that a Russian missile struck a hotel, igniting a fire. He cautioned that several individuals might remain trapped beneath the debris and highlighted the potential risk of additional missile strikes in the vicinity.
The missile strike underscores the persistent challenges confronting Ukraine as it contends with both military aggression and intricate diplomatic dynamics. Recent strains in US-Ukraine relations over peace negotiations may influence future support for Ukraine, raising significant concerns about the nation”s capacity to address escalating tensions with Russia effectively.
Source: Marzieh Rahmani