Iranian Ambassador to India Iraj Elahi: ‘India can be more active, convince Israel for ceasefire, de-escalation’

In the beginning, the hostility was precise limited. Hamas launched an operation, which Israel called a violent act. Some countries supported that, portion immoderate different countries similar Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Iran called it resistance… it was a constricted cognition against Israel but Israel tried to alteration it to an excuse for its strategical plan.

What would that be?

To eradicate Hamas from Gaza, to propulsion Gazan radical retired of their homeland, towards the south, and to inhabit each of Gaza. At the aforesaid time, it accrued its unit connected West Bank citizens, adjacent destroying the infrastructure successful West Bank including schools and colleges… Let’s presume it was a violent act. Is the effect of Israel proportionally close oregon adjacent to the violent act? In the cognition of Hamas, 1,000-1,200 were killed but the casualties successful Gaza are 42,000. For each Israeli, they killed 40 people.

If there’s a provocation, don’t countries person a close to  retaliate?

Even if we presume it was a violent enactment and that they person the close for retaliation, shouldn’t it beryllium equal? The retaliatory enactment is 40 times more, and still, determination is nary extremity connected the skyline for this hostility successful Gaza. And it is widening to Lebanon, to Syria.

Another strategical purpose of Israel was to prosecute the full state to summation the interest of the West regarding the region. If you grow the hostility to antithetic parts of the globe and to different continents, they volition each person interest regarding the consequences.

But the US is besides asking for a ceasefire. Even France is calling for an arms embargo connected Israel. What bash you deliberation of these statements?

If you are truly superior regarding ceasefire, you usage antithetic leverage to propulsion oregon to instrumentality your goal. Till now, the United States has not condemned the crimes of Israel. So it implicitly means that Israel has got a yes from US connected its crime.

This is simply a struggle wherever antithetic parts of the satellite person antithetic views… bash you deliberation determination could beryllium a mediate ground, oregon a solution?

When determination is dust, you cannot spot reality. Now the concern is dusty, truthful a ceasefire tin fto the particulate settle, past those sides who are engaged successful the tension, and different sides who are astir (geographically), tin beryllium together. You tin classify countries successful antithetic groups: Lebanon, Syria, Iran successful 1 group, past the United States, and past Arab states. So archetypal of all, we should fto the particulate settee with a ceasefire, and past deliberation astir a solution.

India called the Hamas onslaught a violent attack. It is besides sending humanitarian assistance. It is advocating a two-state solution.

India’s presumption is clear. India is powerfully supporting a two-state solution. But astatine the aforesaid time, aft a fewer hours (on October 7), Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the cognition of Hamas a violent act. The presumption of India is rational. But arsenic a diplomat, I judge that India tin play a much progressive role. India tin enactment a ceasefire. India tin person Israel for a ceasefire oregon de-escalation since the enlargement of the hostility is not to the payment of immoderate determination countries and adjacent the planetary economy. It is simply a bully accidental for India.

What’s the anticipation connected what India would person done, oregon tin bash going forward?

India is simply a pioneer successful diplomacy. I cannot accidental what India should bash oregon what India tin do. Indian policymakers are afloat alert of what is imaginable and what they tin do. Let them marque their ain decision. Every state tries to prehend immoderate accidental to its ain benefit. De-escalation is (to) the payment of India, a bigger relation astatine the planetary level volition payment India, engagement of India successful West Asia is connected their benefit. And India besides has bully relations with Israel, with Iran, with antithetic Gulf states, truthful it’s a bully accidental for India.

At the upcoming BRICS acme successful Russia, bash you deliberation that is thing the Indian and Iranian leaders are going to discuss?

We were moving connected the gathering of our President and PM Modi successful New York but due to the fact that of the logistical issue, we could not put that. We are present moving connected the gathering of some leaders connected the sidelines of BRICS and we anticipation it volition beryllium fruitful for some countries.

What is the authorities of India-Iran bilateral ties successful each aspects, including commercialized and the collaboration connected Chabahar port?

Besides our commonalities and shared heritage, India and Iran are earthy partners. We consciousness that some countries should present elevate the relations to a strategical level. In Iran, we see India arsenic a powerfulness of Asia, arsenic a rising powerfulness successful the world, arsenic an important state successful the world, and a bully and reliable spouse for Iran. And astatine the aforesaid time, we judge that Iran tin beryllium reliable and has been a reliable spouse for India successful antithetic parts.

So we should mobilise each opportunities to fortify the narration for the payment of some nations. Chabahar is conscionable 1 project, India needs to diversify its routes to the planetary marketplace geographically. So Chabahar and International North–South Transport Corridor are options for India.

But are determination immoderate challenges successful Chabahar?

Not astatine all. Fortunately, the main declaration betwixt Iran and India has been signed, and present some sides are earnestly moving to instrumentality the 10-year statement (signed successful May 2024). At the aforesaid time, the Iranian broadside is moving hard to instrumentality antithetic projects related to Chabahar, mostly connecting it to the Iranian nationalist railway network, which is indispensable for activation of Chabahar.

Coming backmost to the conflict, Iran had besides attacked Israeli territory connected October 1. What bash you person to accidental astir Iran’s nonstop engagement successful the war? Was that besides retaliation?

There are immoderate parallel tensions oregon clashes successful the region: Israel-Hamas, Israel-Hezbollah and Iran-Israel. We didn’t commencement the hostility with Israel, we did not ignite it. It was Israel that violated Iranian sovereignty by assassinating Hamas person (Ismail Haniyeh) successful Iran; earlier, it was Israel that targeted the Iranian embassy successful Damascus.

Launching a rocket was morganatic according to planetary instrumentality and our inherent rights for aforesaid defence. But we anticipation that Israel has learned capable to not participate a caller circular of escalation, due to the fact that if it does thing again, we volition retaliate, and this ellipse volition continue, which is not connected the payment of some sides and the region. Many countries privation the struggle betwixt Iran and Israel to spell on, we should disappoint them.

What astir the Israeli hostages successful Gaza?

That is simply a humanitarian contented and not acceptable astatine all. Human beings person to beryllium respected connected either side. There should beryllium nary quality betwixt the humor of Jews oregon Muslims. It’s unusual to spot the indifference of the satellite towards starvation of infants successful Gaza.