Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West on Thursday of supporting “genocide” by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, at the start of talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.
As part of a burst of meetings focused on the Middle East, Putin greeted Raisi in the Kremlin a day after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he discussed the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and efforts by Russia and OPEC to boost oil prices.
Putin said it was very important to discuss the situation in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian territories.
Raisi responded via a translator: “What is happening in Palestine and Gaza is of course genocide and a crime against humanity.” He said it was “even more sad” that this was supported by the United States and the West.
Putin has said the sight of suffering and bloodied children in Gaza makes “tears come to your eyes”, but Western governments say such comments are hypocritical when Putin’s forces have killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine.—Reuters
