US-Israeli war extends beyond Iran to entire Muslim world: Iranian official

The head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation has warned that the  US-Israeli aggression against Iran is not limited to the Islamic Republic, but represents a broader war against the entire Muslim world.

Mohammad-Mahdi Imanipour, head of the Islamic Culture and Communication Organisation, made the remarks while addressing the 17th Kazan International Forum and the OIC Culture Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday.

“We deeply believe that the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran has dimensions that go beyond the territorial and national level,” he said at the summit hosted by the city of Kazan, capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.

He stated that “the US-Israeli war of aggression imposed on Iran under pretences is a clear example of rebellion against humanity and freedom.”

Imanipour said that “the assassination of the spiritual and rights-seeking leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had followers from all religions and freedom-loving societies, the killing of 168 innocent students at the Shajara Tayyiba School in Minab, the public threats to destroy one of the world’s oldest civilisations...have exposed the true face of those who falsely claim to defend freedom.”

Imanipour noted that the United States has pursued hostile policies against Iran since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“The war recently imposed on us was the third such war since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution,” he said.

He emphasised that “the Islamic Republic, on behalf of free nations and the Islamic world, stands at the forefront of confronting the expansionism of the occupying Tel Aviv regime.”

Imanipour further stated that “the Islamic world has for years been the victim of all-out genocide and crimes against humanity. This relentless invasion and killing have had many causes, from the sinister plan of the so-called Greater Israel to the plundering of the wealth of independent countries.”

He warned that the US-backed Israeli expansionist agenda is aimed at “plundering the resources of all Muslim nations across the entire West Asia region.”

The senior Iranian cleric went on to say that the US, Israel, and their Western allies are also pursuing a brutal agenda against Muslims to suppress “the pursuit of justice, the revival of spirituality, and adherence to principles.”

“The main concern of the arrogant powers is a new discourse that challenges the immoral values of liberal democracy and heralds a new civilisation,” he added.

Imanipour expressed disappointment that the international community and global institutions have largely remained silent in the face of US-Israeli crimes.

“Unfortunately, the very international institutions that were supposed to prevent these crimes have revealed their inefficiency to the world,” he said.

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