The Iranian president criticized the West for supporting Israel in the war in Gaza.

Speaking in Baghdad, Iraq, on his first foreign trip since taking office, Pezeshkian said: "The Israeli entity is carrying out massacres against women, children, young people, and the elderly. They are bombing hospitals and schools."

"All these crimes were committed using ammunition and bombs from Europe and America," he said without further explanation.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at the government palace in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 11. Photo: AP

President Pezeshkian's visit to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, is of significant importance to both countries.

For Iran, the relationship with Iraq is crucial for economic, political, and religious reasons. Meanwhile, Iraq is trying to balance its relationship with Iran, which supports powerful Shiite militias domestically, as well as with the United States, which maintains a force of 2,500 troops in Iraq to fight the remnants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the two neighboring countries signed 14 memoranda of understanding to boost relations on September 11. He also pledged that Iraqi airspace would not be used to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iraq also needs close ties to maintain its supply of natural gas imported from Iran to meet its electricity needs.

Pezeshkian hoped the visit would strengthen relations between Tehran and Baghdad as regional tensions increasingly threaten to draw both countries into the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-iran-chi-trich-phuong-tay-vi-ung-ho-israel-trong-cuoc-chien-o-gaza-post312022.html