Iran lashed out against the United Nations Monday for failing to take a firmer stance towards "Israeli aggressions" against the Palestinian people in nine weeks of violence which have left more than 300 people dead.
"We deplore the stance the UN has taken" since the beginning of the new Intifada on September 28, foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters at a press conference in Tehran.
"The UN has not condemned the Israeli aggressions sufficiently and it has not taken enough measures to prevent further crimes by the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people," Asefi said.
"Our expectations from the UN and international organizations have declined," the Iranian official said.
He reiterated Tehran's call for the creation of an international war-crimes tribunal to deal with Israeli offences, and denounced Israeli "threats" against Lebanon and Syria, "two countries with which we have brotherly relations."
"The Zionist regime always attacks its neighbors as soon as it faces difficulties," Asefi said, adding that "the only solution is for (Israel) to respect the rights of the Palestinians."
Iran does not recognize the state of Israel and has welcomed the Palestinian uprising, which has seen more than 300 people killed, most of them Palestinians, in nine weeks of violence.
Tehran broke off its ties with Israel after the 1979 Islamic revolution and has repeatedly called for the Jewish state to be abolished. It wants all Palestinian refugees to have the right to return and a referendum to be held on the future of the state of Palestine.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for Islamic nations to pave the way for a holy war, or jihad, against Israel – TEHRAN (AFP)
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