Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Occasion of International Quds Day – 2024

Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Occasion of International Quds Day – 2024

In the Name of God
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

On the anniversary of the historic initiative of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hazrat Imam Khomeini (May Allah’s Peace be upon him), to name the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as ‘International Quds Day’, the Palestinian Cause and the liberation of al-Quds al-Sharif have now turned into a symbol of the unity of the entirety of humanity from whatever race, religion, and creed around the world in defence of humanity and freedom, the realisation of justice, and the expression of opposition to occupation, oppression, murder, and crime against the oppressed and besieged people of Palestine by the Zionist regime.

On the verge of the 200^th day since the outbreak of the recent 6-month Zionist crimes against the Gaza Strip, the situation of Palestine and its civilised and oppressed people has turned into a major human catastrophe. The Zionist regime of Israel continues to commit its horrific crimes: the massacre of nearly 40,000 innocent infants, children, women and men at the hands of an occupying, racist, and terrorist regime, the pursuit of the scorched-earth policy, and the utter ruination of the Gaza Strip by destruction of residential houses, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches and the deliberate starvation to death of its people have continued.

The intensification of the desecration of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qiblah of world Muslims, and the assault and battery and putting to fire and the sword of the worshipers and the mutakif [i.e., religious retreaters] in the courtyard of this holy premises during the enlightening days of the blessed month of Ramadan, together with the reports that come out on the perpetration of atrocious and shameful crimes by the Zionists as they violate and disrespect Palestinian women and prisoners, have turned not only the Gaza Strip, but the entire Palestinian territory, from an open-air prison for several million Palestinian citizens, into a humanity’s slaughterhouse and a cemetery of the human conscience.

Despite the fact that the cries and lamentations of the oppressed and helpless Palestinian children and women have risen to the ceiling of the heavens, the patient and resistant Palestinian nation has courageously and valiantly stood against this great historical injustice and crime.

Undoubtedly enough, the supporters of this regime, led by the regime of the United States of America and other Western states, which not only did nothing to prevent this great injustice from happening, but right from the very first days lent their support to this regime by travelling to the occupied Palestinian territories and sending all forms of military aid and all-round support, shall forever carry the black mark of these great crimes. This will never be erased from the memory and the pages of human history.

Today, the power of patience and resistance of the valorous Palestinian nation and the brave and courageous fighters of the Resistance Front in the region have brought about the humiliation, turmoil, and breakage of the myth of the invincibility of the occupying regime by plunging this regime and its main supporter, the criminal [United States of] America, into the swamp of deep public hatred by the world's nations. The political apparatuses and propaganda machines of Global Arrogance [i.e., imperialism] and Zionism can no longer prevent this definitive defeat by ascribing it to a strategic and miscalculation error or by attributing to Iran the Resistance that has stemmed from the awakened consciences and freedom-loving nations of the vigilant peoples of the region.

As the wise and sagacious Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Hazrat Imam Khamenei (May God prolong his blessing and extend the shadow of his favour), has expressly and categorically emphasised, the Islamic Republic of Iran supports and commends the Resistance and backs it as much as possible, but the Resistance has reached a level of maturity, prosperity, and awakening that it decides with firm determination and full legitimacy to defend the oppressed against the oppressor and its supporters and bravely supports the oppressed people of Palestine.

While over the past six months we have witnessed tremendous cohesion and concord among the justice-seeking and conscientious people in solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine and in expressing abhorrence for the infanticidal Zionist regime in the capitals, cities, and villages of world countries, from the global East to the West, even in the streets of the capitals and cities of Western countries, hundreds of millions of justice-seeking and freedom-loving people the world over will raise louder than ever before the cry of innocence and courage and anti-oppressiveness of the heroic Palestinian nation and the truth and reality of what is transpiring in the Palestinian territory on this year's International Quds Day as they demand the liberation of Palestine from the yoke of oppression, tyranny, occupation, and genocide, not only as the ‘first issue’ of the World of Islam, but as the issue of the world of humanity and the most flagrant example of gross violation of human rights and international laws and regulations.

While vehemently condemning the Zionist regime’s blatant violation of international law and regulations, human rights, and international humanitarian law, the Government and the noble people of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again remind the international community and world governments, especially of Muslim countries, of their responsibility to provide all-out support for the oppressed Palestinian people, particularly the besieged inhabitants and war-stricken people of the Gaza Strip, and call for effective, decisive, and immediate action by governments and international legal and human rights institutions to stop these crimes and to lodge a criminal case for prosecuting and trying the commanders, perpetrators, and supporters of such human tragedies. In this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in addition to participating in the process of oral proceedings of the International Court of Justice in legal pursuit of the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories and the violation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, supports the efforts of other world governments towards claiming the rights of the Palestinian people.

As the International Quds Day (the 5^th of April 2024) draws near, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasises the continuation of the principled and constant policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in supporting the liberation struggles and legitimate resistance of the Palestinian nation and the necessity of effective, comprehensive, and deterrent counteraction against the crimes of the occupying and child-killing Zionist regime and calls on all Muslim governments and nations and the freedom- and truth-seekers of the world to stand in unity and solidarity so as to confront this ‘cancerous tumour’ and disruptor of regional and international stability and security and to provide real and practical aid and support to the oppressed Palestinian people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran also underscores and reminds once again the international and human rights organisations and institutions of their legal duties in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people under occupation, in ending the occupation, stopping the brutal crimes of the Zionists in the Holy al-Quds and other occupied regions in Palestine, and in putting an end to the aggressive and escalating actions of the Zionists in the region.