(Bloomberg) -- Iran's foreign minister warned that the US won't escape unaffected if the Hamas-Israel war turns into a broader conflict, firing back after the Biden administration said Iran was ultimately to blame for a recent spate of drone attacks on American forces.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian delivered the threat in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, speaking in English as he accused the US of overseeing “genocide” against the Palestinian people.
“Today in New York and the United Nations I say frankly to the American statesmen who are now managing the genocide in Palestine that we do not welcome” an “expansion of the war in the region,” Amirabdollahian said. “But I warn if the genocide in Gaza continues they will not be spared from these fires.”
Understanding the Roots of the Israel-Hamas War: QuickTake
The foreign minister spoke at an emergency General Assembly meeting to discuss the Israel-Hamas war. A group of Arab nations circulated a draft resolution that would call for an immediate cease-fire.
His comments marked the latest escalation in an increasingly fiery war of words between the US and Iran in the days since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,400 people, and Israel responded with airstrikes that have killed thousands more in the Gaza Strip. Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have fired rockets into Israel from the north, and warn of a bigger barrage if Israel launches a ground assault into Gaza.
In his speech, Amirabdollahian also said Hamas is ready to release civilian prisoners who were among the 200 people Hamas seized in the Oct. 7 raid. He said the world should support the release of 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
The US has also seen an uptick in attacks on American forces based in Syria and Iraq, saying 21 Americans have suffered light injuries in a spate of drone and rocket attacks since Oct. 17. US officials say they hold Tehran responsible.
“We know that these groups are groups that are backed by Iran,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Oct 23. “We don't necessarily see that Iran has explicitly ordered them to take these kinds of attacks. That said, by virtue of the fact that they are supported by Iran, we will ultimately hold Iran responsible.”
At the UN Security Council this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the US would respond “decisively” if Iran or its proxies attack Americans, the sternest warning yet as the Biden administration tries to keep Tehran from joining the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Biden administration is sending more forces into the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier groups, additional fighter jets and missile-defense systems. The US says the moves are aimed at making adversaries such as Iran think twice before joining the conflict, but they have also provoked fears that the US will bring about the outcome it seeks to avoid by expanding its presence in a volatile situation.
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