Israel Never A Friend of Muslims: Iranian President
President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi decried attempts at normalization of ties between a number of Islamic countries and the Zionist regime, saying Israel could never be a friend of Muslims nor would it ever favor their development.
In a meeting with Acting Foreign Minister of Sudan Ali Al-Sadiq Ali, held in Tehran on Monday, Raisi highlighted Iran's support for the establishment of a strong government in Sudan and the territorial integrity of the African country.
He also welcomed Sudan's request to restore relations between Tehran and Khartoum and called it a basis for compensating for the lost opportunities and creating new opportunities.
Raisi also referred to the existing capacities in the two countries and the mutual will of the officials to promote political, economic and cultural interactions, and considered the exchange of ambassadors and the reopening of embassies in Tehran and Khartoum as a suitable ground for the revival and development of relations between the two countries, the president’s official website reported.
Referring to the recent regional developments, he emphasized that distancing the countries from the Zionist regime is one of the basic policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The president stated that the criminal Zionist regime, which has always sought to disrupt the movement of Muslims by creating sedition and conspiracy, can never be a friend of Islamic countries or be interested in the growth and development of Muslim nations.
Deploring the move by some Islamic countries to normalize relations with the Israeli regime, Raisi said, "Today, the big question of the Islamic Ummah from some Islamic countries is how they still maintain their relations with this regime in spite of this amount of criminality and infanticide by the Zionist regime, while if these countries had tried to cut off their relations with the Zionists, today we would not have witnessed the continuation of attacks and bombings against the oppressed and Muslim people of Gaza."
For his part, the Sudanese diplomat emphasized his country's readiness to restore political and diplomatic relations with Iran.
He also appreciated the political support of Iran for the people of Sudan in international forums and circles, highlighted his country's interest in developing relations with Iran, and expressed his country's readiness to increase economic and commercial cooperation with the Islamic Republic. / Tasnim