Iran Says US Already ‘Militarily Involved’ in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
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Iran Says US Already ‘Militarily Involved’ in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)
An Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) moves on a road towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (AP)

The United States is already heavily involved in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and must be held to account, an Iranian official said on Monday.

The US is bolstering its firepower in the Middle East in response to war between its ally Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian militants Hamas amid fears of regional spillover.

Asked if Tehran would engage if the US weighed in, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said: "Iran considers that the United States is already militarily involved in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians."

"The crimes of the Zionist regime are carried out with the support of the United States and Washington must be held accountable," he added at a news conference.

The newest US aircraft carrier - also the world's largest - is already in the eastern Mediterranean and is due to be joined by a second US aircraft carrier in coming days.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the aircraft carriers are not a provocation but a deterrence.



Iran Rejects European and British Sanctions on its Shipping Lines as 'Unjustified'

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Archive - Mehr News Agency).
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Archive - Mehr News Agency).
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Iran Rejects European and British Sanctions on its Shipping Lines as 'Unjustified'

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Archive - Mehr News Agency).
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Archive - Mehr News Agency).

New EU and British sanctions are based on false claims of missile transfers to Russia and are "unjustified", Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday.
Brussels on Monday added Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its director to its list of sanctions on Iran, which it said were a consequence of Tehran's support of Russia in its war with Ukraine, Reuters reported.
On the same day, Britain imposed sanctions against Iran's national airline and shipping carrier, measures it said were taken in response to Iran's transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.
"Iran considers the imposition of new sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom against a number of Iranian individuals and legal entities on the false claim of sending ballistic missiles to Russia as an unjustified act that contradicts the norms of international law," Baghaei said, according to the foreign ministry's Telegram channel.
He added that European parties were violating international law, including the freedom of navigation and maritime trade, via sanctions.