Gaza ceasefire deal must become sustainable solution: Iran’s UN envoy

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN has commended the Palestinian nation and their resistance against Israel after the ceasefire agreement came into effect in Gaza, emphasizing, however, that the deal must be converted into a permanent solution.

“While a welcome step, the ceasefire must be transformed into a permanent and sustainable solution. This demands the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and a robust, comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza," Amir Saeid Iravani said on Monday as he addressed the Security Council during a session to discuss the Israeli regime's war crimes against Palestinians.

“Israel's unwillingness to fully withdraw and its insistence on maintaining control over Gaza's security undermines these efforts and perpetuates instability,” he added.

The Iranian diplomat called on the Security Council to take a united and strong position in "defending Gaza's territorial integrity."

He also urged the international community to prioritize safeguarding the mandate of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and ensure predictable, sustained funding to support displaced Palestinians.

“Equally critical is addressing the escalating violence in the West Bank, including the surge in settler attacks, which poses a serious threat to peace and security and requires immediate, decisive action,” Iravani pointed out.

The Iranian diplomat noted that Gaza remains the center of a deep humanitarian crisis, noting that the tragedy has exposed double standards, moral failures, and inaction from the international community and the Security Council.

Iran president congratulates Gazans on victory, praises 'strong resistance' against Israel

President Pezeshkian congratulates the people of the Gaza Strip for their victory in the face of the Israeli regime’s 15-month-long war of genocide.

“The atrocities committed by the Israeli apartheid regime are shocking. Families have been wiped out, hospitals and schools destroyed, and critical infrastructure demolished. The blockade on Gaza has turned life for over two million people into a daily struggle, depriving them of food, water, medicine, and electricity. These actions are collective punishment on an unimaginable scale,” Iravani stated.

Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN emphasized that Israel's heinous crimes in Gaza, including mass killings of civilians, the destruction of vital infrastructure and the forced displacement of entire communities, constitute acts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

“Such crimes cannot be overlooked after the ceasefire; accountability and prosecution must be pursued.”

Iravani continued that "an uncompromising accountability is crucial for justice and preventing further atrocities," saying, it is imperative that the Security Council should remain "objective and does not succumb to the propaganda of the terrorist regime of Israel that seeks to deflect attention from these underlying issues.”

Iran’s UN ambassador also stressed that the Israeli regime must honor its commitment to the ceasefire with Lebanon, immediately halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon after 60 days of the ceasefire agreement.

“The Security Council must adopt a firm position to ensure the full and precise implementation of the ceasefire agreement. Likewise, Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights violates the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement and UN Resolution 497, which declared its annexation illegal.”

Iravani finally described resistance movements across the West Asia region as a legitimate response to decades of Israeli occupation, aggression and expansionist policies.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its steadfast support of the Palestinian right to self-defense and resistance under international law, he concluded.

Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday after 15 months of bloody war on the Gaza Strip. The long-awaited Gaza ceasefire agreement went into effect on Sunday.

The ceasefire deal consists of three phases, each lasting 42 days. Negotiations for the second and third phases will begin on the 16th day of the implementation of the deal.

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