US accomplice in Israel 'crimes': Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

RIYADH: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the US government is the "main perpetrator" and "accomplice" of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas.

"US government is the main perpetrator and accomplice to this crime. Israel is the illegitimate child of America. It is America that has preferred support it over the sacred lives of thousands of oppressed Palestinian children. By immediately forming its security cabinet in the occupied territories, America encouraged the Zionist regime to carry out criminal operations against the helpless people of Gaza and called it legitimate defence," he said.

While speaking at the Arab Islamic Summit in Riyad, which was aimed to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza, he added, "The events in the Gaza Strip are a confrontation between the axis of honour and the axis of evil, and everyone must clarify which path they have fallen into."

It marks the first trip by an Iranian leader to Saudi Arabia in 11 years after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in March. Criticising the US for providing armour and other weapons to Israel, he claimed that Israel has dropped bombs equivalent to seven atomic bombs in Gaza. He said further, "Another action of the US is arming and supporting the Zionist regime with all kinds of deadly weapons and filling up the arms reserves of the usurping Israel, in addition to providing billions of dollars in aid to the military budget of this regime. Both the Zionist regime's war machine and its fuel belong to the Americans. Heavy shipments of weapons are being sent on a daily basis and the Zionist enemy has so far dropped bombs equivalent to seven atomic bombs on the scale of the Hiroshima crime on the people of Gaza."

Speaking at the summit, Raisi said that all attendees had gathered there on behalf of the Islamic world to "save the Palestinians."

"We have gathered here today to discuss the focus of the Islamic world, which is the Palestinian cause, where we've witnessed the worst crimes in history...Today is a historic day in the heroic defense and support of Al-Aqsa Mosque," he added.

Saudi Arabia hosted the emergency summit in response to the exceptional circumstances taking place in the Palestinian Gaza Strip as countries feel the need to unify efforts and come out with a unified collective position, Arab News reported.