Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi speaking during a joint press conference with Iraq's prime minister in Tehran on 6 November 2023. AFP
"The aid from the US to the Zionist regime (Israel) is encouraging them to kill and commit cruel acts of neglect against the Palestinian people," Raisi said at a joint news conference in Tehran with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
"We believe that the bombings must stop as soon as possible, that a ceasefire must be declared immediately and that aid be provided to the oppressed and proud people of Gaza," Raisi said.
"These horrible crimes against humanity are a genocide, which is carried out by the Zionist regime (Israel) with the support of the US and certain European countries."
The Iraqi leader's visit to Iran comes a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise stop in Baghdad on his diplomatic tour of the Middle East.
In Baghdad, Blinken said that attacks or threats against US troops in Iraq and Syria coming from militias that are aligned with Iran are "totally unacceptable".
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, a series of rocket and drone attacks have targeted military bases hosting US forces in Iraq.
Washington accused Iran of having a hand in the attacks which have also targeted US troops in Syria.
On 26 October, US President Joe Biden sent a message to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning against strikes on US troops amid the Israeli war on Gaza.
Biden's message to Khamenei came a day after Iran's supreme leader described the US as being "the undeniable accomplices of the crimes perpetrated in Gaza".
For the 31st consecutive day, Israel has continued its intense bombardment of Gaza, killing nearly 10,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly.
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