Iranian president blames US, West for supplying arms to Israel

TEHRAN - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has deplored the US and Western supplies of arms and equipment to Israel, whose bombardments have killed nearly 9,500 people in the Gaza Strip.

He made the remarks in a phone call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Saturday night, during which the two sides discussed the situation in Gaza and ways to end the conflict and lift the siege on the coastal enclave, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office on Sunday.

Raisi said the killing of civilians, particularly children, is "ghastly," denouncing it as "a flagrant instance of crime against humanity".

The Iranian president added that "the silence of the United States and some European countries and their arms support to Israel are proof of their double standards and conspicuous complicity in Israel's crimes."

He called for stopping the war and killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible and making international efforts to immediately lift the blockade on it and allow the inflow of more humanitarian aid.

For his part, the Norwegian prime minister highlighted the necessity of immediately ending the violence and conflict in Gaza.

He noted that Norway and Iran could use diplomatic channels to hold consultations and cooperate on finding a solution to the conflict.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, raging for nearly a month, has led to the deaths of 9,488 Palestinians in Gaza. On the Israeli side, more than 1,400 people lost their lives, the vast majority in the Hamas military attacks on Israel on Oct 7, which triggered the ongoing conflict.