Iran says US must ensure any deal on Gaza ceasefire is ‘durable’

 Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says a truce agreement for Gaza appears within reach, calling on the United States — as the main ally and supporter of the Israeli regime — to ensure that any ceasefire is durable and leads to lifting of the humanitarian siege on the Palestinian territory.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday after meeting Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, Amirabdollahian said Hamas, as the representative of Palestinians in Gaza, believes that securing a ceasefire deal is not possible while the Israeli regime keeps killing women and children in the enclave.

He said that the United States claims some sort of a ceasefire agreement is possible before the end of the year. He added that if the US and the opposing sides are serious in securing a deal, they must engage in discussions to establish a sustainable ceasefire that results in the lifting of the complete humanitarian blockade of Gaza.

“Diplomatic negotiations indicate that the region is gradually moving towards a ceasefire, and direct and indirect talks that could bring an end to the catastrophic situation in Gaza,” he said.

Amirabdollahian stressed that the ongoing talks with regional players have primarily centered on the urgency to stop the Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza, as well as provision of humanitarian aid.

Iran’s top diplomat said that Hamas leaders have told him during recent discussions that the resistance group has used only a fraction – about 14 percent – of its military capabilities in the ongoing fight against Israeli forces.

By Nadeem Faisal Baiga