“Moderate” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday harangued British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not condemning “the unprecedented and inhumane crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza and the terrorist acts of the regime.”
Pezeshkian railed during his phone call with Starmer that “certain European countries’ support for the entity [Israel] are irresponsible and in violation of international regulations.”
The Iranian president agreed with Starmer that “war is not in anyone’s interest” — the line Starmer’s office really wanted to publicize out of the conversation — but then insisted it was a “legitimate right of world states” to launch a “punitive response to aggression.”
One might be tempted at that juncture to accuse the Iranians of hypocrisy, since they are reportedly planning to attack Israel for daring to eliminate a top architect of the October 7 atrocities on Iranian soil. Of course, Iran does not consider Israel to be a legitimate world state, so the Israelis do not enjoy the right of “punitive response” that Pezeshkian described, no matter how horrific the crimes perpetrated against them.
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The British government portrayed Starmer’s half-hour conversation with Pezeshkian as a last-ditch effort to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.
“There was a serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration,” Starmer reportedly told the Iranian president.
Starmer was also said to have asked Pezeshkian to halt Iran’s “destabilizing activities,” including threatening British citizens and aiding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Iran has a habit of trying to kill dissident Iranian journalists who write unflattering stories about the regime while living on foreign soil.
On Monday night, the UK joined France and Germany in issuing a joint statement calling on Iran to “refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected this call on Tuesday.
“Such demands are void of political logic, in complete contradiction to the principles and rules of international law, and excessive,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kaanani.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Tuesday that Tehran will not send representatives to cease-fire talks for Gaza that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar broker.
Senior Iranian officials told Reuters on Tuesday that only a major ceasefire agreement in Gaza would convince Iran not to attack Israel in revenge for the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“One of the sources, a senior Iranian security official, said Iran, along with allies such as Hezbollah, would launch a direct attack if the Gaza talks fail or it perceives Israel is dragging out negotiations,” Reuters reported. “The sources did not say how long Iran would allow for talks to progress before responding.”