Iranian officials again accused Thursday both Israel and the US of standing behind a massive explosion that hit Beirut’s port Tuesday and sent shockwaves across the Lebanese capital, killing dozens of people and wounding thousands.
Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei said" “The incident is consistent with the US and Israeli behavior in the past years,” adding that Beirut’s explosion is greatly suspicious.
The Iranian official called for contemplating the incident from two angles. He said Washington and Tel Aviv are replacing the military war with the economic war and the nuclear bomb with the strategic living war.
Rezaei accused both states of applying what he called “the Hiroshima of wheat and living.”
He said the policy of US President Donald Trump is to opt for the economic war instead of the military war.
For his part, Iran’s Foreign Policy Commission Spokesman Abolfazl Amouei wrote on his Twitter account: “Like ever before, Iran stands with Lebanon. Time of crisis is time of national unity, yet prone to sedition. The Lebanese should stay firmly united and be alert to conspiracies of Zionist enemy.”
Also, Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, commented on the Beirut blast for the second time in less than 24 hours.
“The Lebanese people are the great stars of resistance in the Islamic world and have always faced events with patience and endurance,” Salami said. “All of our abilities will be mobilized to help the Lebanese people,” he added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had issued a statement about the incident saying Iran sympathizes with the dear citizens of Lebanon and stand by them in the painful tragedy of the explosion in Beirut port.
“Patience in the face of this tragedy will be a golden page in Lebanon’s honor,” he said.
On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held phone talks with his Lebanese counterpart President Michel Aoun, voicing his country’s readiness for any humanitarian cooperation and assistance with Lebanon.
The Iranian President assured Aoun that the “Iranian government and nation, as always, will stand by the dear people of Lebanon, and the Iranian government is ready to send any medical and food consignments."
The Iranian embassy in Beirut had announced that the Iranian aid cargoes for the Lebanese people, including three planes, arrived at Beirut airport on Wednesday and Thursday.
