Iran’s Interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has underscored the necessity of easing tensions and resolving conflicts across West Asia, saying the two neighboring countries of Iran and Iraq are two main pillars of security in the strategic region.

According to The Iran Project, Bagheri Kani made the remarks in a joint press conference after a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minsiter Fuad Hussein in Baghdad on Thursday.

Pointing to the ongoing developments across the region and the need for resolving tensions, Bagheri Kani said, “Iran and Iraq are two main pillars in the region and are responsible for promotion of the security of the region.”

The top Iranian diplomat described what is happening in the Gaza Strip as a war crime and stressed that the Israeli genocide must stop in the besieged Palestinian territory.

“Islamic countries should use their power to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza. The genocide in Gaza must unconditionally stop. Due to their failure in Gaza, the Zionists may commit another folly and expand the scope of their aggression,” Bagheri Kani said.

Touching on the US military support for the Israeli occupation army in its months-long war on Gaza, he added, “The Americans should stop their arms support to the Zionist regime.

The Americans cannot support Israel by supplying weapons while pretend to be after peace and propose initiatives to end the war.”

Bagheri Kani went on to say, “Iran and Iraq underlined the notion that the Zionist war crimes and the Zionist genocide in Gaza must unconditionally end as soon as possible, and aid should be provided to the people of Gaza based on their needs. To this end, the cooperation and solidarity of the Islamic countries in the region can be helpful more than ever.”