Tehran [Iran], October 10 : Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a "wanted war criminal" and accusing him of seeking to save himself politically at the cost of American lives and resources, referring to Israeli involvement in the conflict in West Asia.
In a post on X, Araghchi said Netanyahu was attempting to evade justice and showed little regard for his own people, while also referring to the growing criticism of the Israeli leadership and its handling of the conflict, particularly with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal with Arab, American & Iranian blood on his hands. To escape justice, he has no regard for his own people either. Like a degenerate gambler, he's desperately seeking to save himself with more U.S. blood and treasure. Even U.S. Senators want out," Araghchi said in his post on X.
The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks while sharing an interview in which an Israeli general who reportedly woke Netanyahu on the morning of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks spoke about the events surrounding the assault and the subsequent handling of the crisis.
The interview raised allegations that Netanyahu had been warned of a possible war three months before the October 7 attacks, that logs from October 7 had been tampered with, and that hostages "could have come back earlier".
The allegations come against the backdrop of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
According to the ICC, there were reasonable grounds to believe that both officials bore criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The court also cited allegations concerning the intentional direction of attacks against civilians.
The court's findings were based on evidence gathered by investigators through May 2024, according to the information provided in its statement.
Araghchi's remarks add to the continuing diplomatic exchanges surrounding the conflict in Gaza, with Tehran repeatedly criticising the Israeli leadership and questioning its conduct during the military campaign.