Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Cutting Ties with Israel ‘for Limited Period’

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
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Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Cutting Ties with Israel ‘for Limited Period’

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)

Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei urged regional countries to sever their "political relationship with the Zionist [Israeli] regime at least for a limited period."

Khamenei said Israel's "defeat" in its war against the Hamas movement is "a reality" and reveals the "failure" of Western countries.

During a visit to the Ashura Aerospace University of Science and Technology, Khamenei toured an exhibition showing the latest achievements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force.

During the visit, officials unveiled the "Fattah 2" hypersonic cruise missile, the "Mehran" mobile defense system, the upgraded "9th of Dey" system, and the "Shahed 147" drone.

"Some Islamic governments have condemned Israeli crimes in assemblies while some have not. This is unacceptable," Khamenei said, reiterating that the main task of Islamic governments should be to cut off Israel from energy and goods, reported Reuters.

He made similar remarks weeks ago.

Khamenei added: "Islamic governments should at least cut off political ties to Israel for a limited time."

His website quoted him as saying that the events in Gaza revealed "many hidden facts", including the support of the heads of Western countries for "racial discrimination".

"Despite the massive bombings in Gaza, the Zionist regime has so far failed in its action because they said from the beginning that their goal is to destroy and cripple Hamas and the Resistance, but after more than 40 days and after using all their military power, they have not yet been able to do this," he said.

He noted that the "savage bombardment of hospitals, women, and children in Gaza is a sign that the Zionist leaders are enraged by their defeat."

"The Zionist regime's defeat in Gaza is a fact. Advancing and entering hospitals or people's homes is not a victory because victory means defeating the other side, which is something that the Zionist regime has not been able to achieve so far, nor will it be able to do in the future," he added.

Khamenei accused the leaders of the US, Germany, France and the UK of being racist because of their support and help to the "racist" Israeli regime.

"The Zionists consider themselves as a superior race and consider the rest of the human race to be inferior. That is why they have killed several thousand children without any remorse," he added.



7 more Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
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7 more Turkish Soldiers Die from Methane Gas in Iraqi Cave, Raising Deaths to 12

FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
FILE PHOTO: A Turkish flag flies on a passenger ferry with the Bosphorus in the background in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We pray for God’s mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event,” the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out “inspections and evaluations” and attend a ceremony as the soldiers were flown to their hometowns for burial.

Speaking at the ceremony, Guler commended the troops' “great courage and sacrifice,” adding: “Our grief is immense and our feelings are beyond words.”

The ministry said the incident took place in the “Claw-Lock Operation region” — a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by “terrorist gunfire” during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 feet) and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.