Iran on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as the four-day truce between Hamas and Israel entered its final day.
At a press briefing in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani demanded an end of the ongoing conflict, highlighting his country’s diplomatic efforts to seek an extension of the ceasefire agreement which was set to end early Tuesday.
“We hope this war comes to an end. We are continuing talks and consultations with all parties involved. Our president and foreign minister have engaged in high-level dialogues and consultations with officials from various countries and the United Nations, which will continue,” he said.
Regarding recent attacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, Kanaani firmly denied Iran’s involvement and criticized the U.S. military presence in the region as a threat to regional peace and stability.
“The U.S. government has been exacerbating instability and insecurity in the region. As for the presence of the U.S. naval fleet in the Middle East, we see it as part of their policies to continue support for Israel,” he said.
Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not turned into a permanent ceasefire, the Iraqi prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day Israel-Hamas truce.
“The entire region is on the verge of a devastating conflict that may include everyone, and the extent of its expansion or how to control and stop it is not known,” said Farhad Alaadin, foreign affairs adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
European Union Ambassador to Iraq Thomas Seiler said in a social media post that he hopes Iraqi factions “continue with their cessation of attacks.”
“For this reason, we see any ceasefire in the conflict as beneficial and important at this stage for the people of Palestine and Gaza first and for all countries in the region, including Iraq,” he told Reuters.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their truce in the Gaza Strip for an additional two days, allowing for further exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and opening the door for more humanitarian aid to flow into the embattled enclave, a Qatari official said on Monday.
(REUTERS)