Iranian FM slams US, Britain, France for opposing anti-Israel statement at UNSC

TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday denounced the US, Britain and France's opposition to a statement in the UN Security Council to condemn the deadly Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Syria.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Yemeni Houthi group spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam in the Omani capital Muscat, describing the opposition as clear proof of those countries' "political hypocrisy," according to a statement from Iran's Foreign Ministry.

The United States, Britain and France on Wednesday opposed a statement drafted by Russia, condemning the April 1 missile strike by Israel on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed seven Iranians, including two veteran commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and a number of Syrian citizens.

Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the three countries' opposition to the statement was indicative of their "conspicuous support for Israel's crimes and adventurism," and would encourage the widening of the scope of instability and insecurity in the West Asia region.

The Israeli attack had been carried out using warplanes and missiles built by the United States, he said, adding that Iran would use its rights recognized within the framework of international law to "hold the aggressors to account and punish them."

Abdul-Salam, for his part, expressed complete solidarity of the Houthis and Yemeni people with Iran with regard to the recent Israeli "crime" against the Iranian consulate.

Heading a delegation, the Iranian foreign minister arrived in Muscat on Sunday for talks with Omani officials on bilateral relations and the latest regional developments.