Tehran – Iran sharply denounces Israel for using Palestinian civilians as human shields, calling it “heinous war crimes” and is part of a wider genocide campaign against the people of Gaza.
Citing reports from within Israel, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the practice violates international humanitarian law and reflects a deliberate policy that must be prosecuted by an international court.
At a weekly press conference on Monday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaille Baghihai said: “Unfortunately, this appears to be true, and it’s not surprising given the ongoing crimes we’ve witnessed in recent years.
Baghaei emphasized that such actions were clearly prohibited under the Convention in Geneva and the Roman Law of the International Criminal Court.
“The use of civilians as human shields is explicitly defined as a serious and heinous crime,” he said. “It is the duty of the ICC, the OIC and the UN Human Rights Council to document these crimes and pursue accountability in international courts.”
In a wider regional context, Baguei denounced Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and criticised the regime’s failure to support its ceasefire commitment.
“It’s dishonorable that no one food has ever entered Gaza in recent months,” he said, urging the international community to take action.
“The actions of Israel clearly show that its goal is nothing more than the destruction of Palestine.”
Iran reconfirms the red line in its nuclear lecture
In parallel with the condemnation of Israel’s military tactics, Iran has repeatedly made a firm stance on nuclear negotiations with the United States, excluding interim deals and highlighting that uranium enrichment remains unnegotiable under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Baghaei reiterated that uranium enrichment is a red line for Iran and an important part of the peaceful nuclear programme under the Non-Diffusion Treaty (NPT).
“The tentative agreement was not on our agenda, so this is why it hasn’t happened either in this round of consultation,” he said. The negotiations were led by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut and US Ambassador Steve Witkov, who was the one who was working as a mediator.
“Enrichment is essential to our civil nuclear program and falls into our legitimate rights. We will not retreat from this position a bit,” he insisted, stressing that Oman’s proposal has so far respected the red line of Iran.
He also rejected the proposal that a regional nuclear consortium could replace Iran’s domestic enrichment, saying, “We welcome regional cooperation on fuel production, but cannot replace the country’s enrichment capabilities.”
Speaking after the Rome discussions, Foreign Minister Aragucci described the discussion as the “most specialized” round so far, saying both sides will reclaim the proposal to their capital for further consultation.
Iran continues diplomatic engagement with Europe
In response to recent comments by US President Donald Trump, Baghey reiterated that Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons.
“If the US goal is to prevent weaponization, that’s achievable. But if Iran intends to strip its NPT accreditation rights, this process will not succeed,” he said.
He added that Iran remains open to dialogue with European powers and accused Israeli-related media of spreading disinformation to derail negotiations.
“Many of what is reported in foreign media is produced by sources belonging to the Zionist regime, with the aim of undermining speeches in both Iran and Europe, and in Iran and the US,” Bagaei argued.
“We have proven that we haven’t wasted time over the last few weeks. Our approach is serious and principled, and we aim to reach a fair agreement.”
Iran-Russia Strategic Treaty will soon be implemented
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to the latest status of the Iran-Russian Strategic Partnership, said, “The strategic partnership agreement has already been approved by duma, ratified by the Iranian parliament this week, criticised by the Guardian Council, and introduced the contract this week.
As two close and strategic allies, Iran and Russia have deepened their relationship in various fields over the past few years despite Western sanctions.