Iranian president slams U.S. for supporting Israeli offensive against Gaza

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday slammed the United States for supporting Israeli "war crimes" against the Gaza Strip, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

He made the remarks in an address to reporters before leaving for Saudi Arabia to attend a summit of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh on Palestine's issue.

Raisi noted that while the U.S. claimed that "they do not seek to widen the scopes of the conflict" in Gaza, "they are supplying the fuel for Israel's war machine."

Pointing out that the Israeli attacks on Gaza are clear instances of "war crimes," Raisi stressed that the world should know the U.S. "is sponsoring and supporting Israeli crimes against the oppressed nation."

Attending the joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh marks the Iranian president's first visit to Saudi Arabia since the two countries reached a landmark deal to normalize relations in March.

Israel struck Gaza in retaliation for a cross-border Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. The month-long conflict has so far led to the deaths of over 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza. On the Israeli side, more than 1,400 people lost their lives, the majority of whom were killed in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, which triggered the ongoing conflict.