Bengaluru, May 2 (ANI) — Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the Representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, called on nations to press the United States and Israel to stop the West Asia war, saying the entire region was suffering and urging a return to normalcy.
At a press conference, Ilahi said the priority should be fairness and justice and that attention should be focused on those who he says started the conflict. He urged countries to tell the initiators to stop so life could resume: “We need fairness and justice…instead of asking Iran ‘why,’ we should ask those who created this war to please stop it because we are all suffering,” he said.
Ilahi maintained that Iran had tried to avoid escalation, citing reported negotiation efforts in Oman and Geneva that he said had made progress before a sudden attack. He alleged the first strike involved 500 aircraft and many missiles and claimed it killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, defense ministers and multiple commanders and generals, as well as numerous civilians. He also alleged a repeated strike on a primary girls’ school that he said killed 175 girls, and added, “No one can accept that this was a mistake; it was a primary school.”
He provided casualty and damage figures he attributed to the conflict: more than 4,000 civilians killed, over 40,000 injured, more than 100,000 homes damaged, about 50 hospitals and 25 universities hit, and destruction of bridges, public facilities, laboratories and institutions. Ilahi said attackers aimed to destroy Iran’s civilization, which he described as more than 7,000 years old.
According to Ilahi, the attackers sought an unconditional surrender that Iran refused. He said Iran defended itself for 40 days, and after the attackers concluded they could not achieve their aims they proposed a ceasefire. Ilahi said the US offered a 15-point plan that Iran rejected in favor of a 10-point plan Iran proposed and initially signed, but he alleged the US did not follow through. He described the current situation as “no war, no peace,” with daily life largely continuing in Iran while the country remains ready to defend itself.
Ilahi also complained about a perceived double standard by powerful countries, saying they expected the oppressed to accept attacks without protest and criticized measures telling states not to trade with Iran. He warned that moves by the US — which he said has surrounded Iran with warships and disrupted maritime traffic — were creating problems in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said had been open and secure before the conflict.
Separately, Sardar Asadi, Deputy Inspector of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, told Fars News Agency that the ceasefire is fragile and the war with the US could flare up again. He said US actions and statements were designed to influence oil prices and said Iran’s armed forces were prepared for any renewed aggression.
(Reporting by ANI. This content was published from a syndicated feed.)
