ISTANBUL

Warning the US and Israel that “genocide” in the Gaza Strip will have repercussions for the region, Iran said: “If the crimes against humanity in Gaza are not stopped, all options will be on the table.”

The warning came during a joint press conference in Tehran on Sunday by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor, who arrived in the Iranian capital for an official visit on Sunday morning.

During a meeting with the visiting official, Abdollahian said: "We held important talks today on bilateral issues and on the most important regional and international issues," according to the official IRNA agency.

The Iranian foreign minister said that US President Joe Biden made an emergency visit to Israel to express his support despite "Israel's massacres of civilians and the targeting of hospitals and populated areas.”

“He officially announced that he will send hundreds of planes to kill the people of Gaza, followed by ridiculous statements saying that we will send 20 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to Gaza," he continued.

He stated: “The US is currently fighting the proxy war against the people of Gaza. The region has turned into a barrel of gunpowder, and any error in calculations, committing genocide and forced displacement will lead to repercussions for the region as well as those in charge of this war.”

Iran’s foreign minister warned both the US and Israel: “If the crimes against humanity in Gaza are not stopped, all options will be on the table and the region will be out of control at the expense of the aggressors themselves.”

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army continues to target Gaza with intensive airstrikes that have destroyed entire neighborhoods, killing 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children and 1,023 women, and injuring 14,245, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

An unknown number of people are also trapped under the rubble.