Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshroo in a statement on Wednesday condemned Israel's expansionist and aggressive policies towards Palestinians, saying that Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands is the core of all conflicts in the Middle East.

Addressing the Security Council Open Debate on 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine question', he also slammed US attempts to remove Israeli aggressive acts against the Palestinians from Security Council’s agenda, saying that the issue will consign plights of the oppressed nation into oblivion.

Full text of the statement reads as follows:
“Mr. President,
I convey my Delegation’s appreciation to the French presidency for convening this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, and I align myself to the statement of Non-Aligned Movement.
The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands is the core and central of all conflicts in the Middle East. The injustice has been continuing for more than seven decades, exacerbated through Israeli expansionist and aggressive policies towards Palestinians and the whole Region. Attempts by US to exclude this issue from Security Council’s agenda serves no purpose but ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people created by Israeli suppression and occupation in the longest tragedy and supported by US in the Middle East.
Israeli entire history starts with illegal occupation of the Palestinian land and is full of aggression against its neighbors and other countries in the Middle East, at least 14 times since 1948. This regime arrogantly and flagrantly continues to violate at least 86 resolutions, adopted by this Council, starting from resolution 54 to the resolution 2334. These violations happen under the total impunity this regime is enjoying.
Israel also continues to flout all international regimes governing WMDs by refusing to adhere to NPT and the Chemical and the Biological Weapons Convention. Nuclear weapons in the hands of this regime pose the most serious threat to the security of all States in the Middle East.
While the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands certainly is the main source of instability in the Middle Ease, there are other contributors.
Foreign intervention, occupation and ensuing instabilities, and attempts to engineer societies in the Middle East have prepared breeding grounds for terrorist and extremist groups. These groups who initially received support from US and its allies, eventually turned into monsters threatening their supporters and creators.
US Ambassador tries to give the wrong address when it comes to the roots causes of insecurity in the Middle East. As our Supreme Leader emphasized just today, we are not going to waste our time on answering the rants of the brute nature.
In fact, the United States has persistently refused to accept realities of the region in pursuit of its short-sighted interests. The United States bleak records are undeniable. Even the current president of the United States during his campaign, publicly noted that regional terrorist groups such as Daesh have been created by the United States.
We did not neglect the serious crises affecting the region, and on numerous occasions offered plans to bring about an end to armed conflicts. Unfortunately, almost all our offers, including our offer to start a regional dialogue forum, fell on deaf ears. However, it is perpetuated by those willing to spend their dollars on American 'beautiful military equipment' and public-relations firms, and by those promising to protect American and Israeli interests more than of their own people. In the end, they serve neither. The military equipment and weapons targeting women and children in Yemen are not beautiful, rather, the beauty lies in the eyes of the children who are being innocently killed.
The hostile policies of the United States and its regional allies, especially the Zionist regime, that have turned the region into a tinderbox require the Islamic Republic of Iran not to be complacent about the country’s defense needs. Through the many bitter experiences, we learned that in order to protect our people, we must rely on indigenous capacities and not hesitate in developing the capability to meet the country’s legitimate defense needs.
Mr. President,
I am most confident to say that no country has done more than Iran in the fight against Daesh and in preventing the formation of an anti-Islamic caliphate from Damascus to Baghdad. As even clearly recognized by the US President during his campaign.
If we had hegemonic ambitions, the nuclear deal would never have been reached. The new US administration approach and the recent dangerous strategy toward the deal and Iran run counter to all of these efforts and intend to add another crisis to the regional issues. Today, we are witnessing that the United States is more isolated globally than ever before and the veracity of Iran’s policies and positions have become evident to the international community.
The right approach is not difficult to uncover—it just requires open eyes, an open mind, respect for the opinions and positions of others, and a willingness to engage and search for peace and justice to the longstanding problem of the Palestinian issue in the Middle East.”
 

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