Oman, Iran demand int’l action to ‘deter’ Israel

Oman and Iran have demanded the international community shoulder its responsibility and take measures to deter Israel from committing further violations, warning against a regional escalation as a result of political assassinations committed by Tel Aviv to exhaust ceasefire efforts.

This came in a phone call between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi and his Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani yesterday, according to a statement by the Omani Foreign Ministry.

On Wednesday, Iran accused Israel of assassinating the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, while he was on a visit to Tehran.

During the call, the two ministers exchanged “views and consultations on the latest developments in the region and the dangerous escalation,” which results from “Israel’s intransigence and continuation of its brutal aggression against the defenceless Palestinian people and the terrorist operations and political assassinations it is practising to exhaust efforts to calm the situation, conclude a ceasefire, and achieve peace.”

For months, mediation efforts led by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have attempted to reach a ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas, however, Tel Aviv has obstructed the efforts, insisting that any deal must allow it to continue to bomb Gaza.

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