Iranian delegates walk out of UN climate summit over Israel’s presence

The Iranian delegation to the United Nations Climate Talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have staged a walk on Friday to protest the presence of Israeli representatives.

The Iranian side considered Israel’s presence at COP28 “as contrary to the goals and guidelines of the conference and, in protest, it left the conference venue”, Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian, who headed the Iranian delegation, was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.

According to a report by the Iranian media, in a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Iranian foreign minister and his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan talked about the latest developments in Gaza following the second extension of a ceasefire after weeks of deadly Israeli strikes on Palestinians.

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Also, Iran has blamed Israel and the United States for a resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

“After killing more than 15,000 Palestinians, the Zionist vampires have started a new round of killing under the continued support of the American government,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Deadly fighting recommenced in Gaza on Friday immediately after the expiration of a seven-day truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants.

Kanani added that “the political and legal responsibility for the continuation of the aggression and massacre” rests with Israel, the US and “a few governments that support this apartheid regime.”

“The nations and the vast majority of the governments of the world are shouting for the continuation of the ceasefire and the complete stop to the Zionist regime’s attacks against Gaza and the West Bank,” Kanani said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said fighting had resumed after Hamas “violated” the truce, as Israel’s army reported the interception of a rocket fired from Gaza about an hour before the pause expired.

Ripples Nigeria reports that Iran, which has labelled Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a genocide, has denied any direct involvement in Hamas’s attack on Israel.

During the truce, mediated by Qatar with Egyptian and American support, 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

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