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Israel is not seeking a “perpetual war” with Iran, and would sermon a diplomatic mode retired of the warfare if Iran “changes course”, said Reuven Azar, Israel’s Ambassador to India. He, however, denied that Israel’s goals had changed owed to Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. Addressing a property league present arsenic the warfare successful West Asia entered its 3rd week, Mr. Azar said determination was nary timeline connected ending the war, but that the U.S. and Israel, which jointly launched the warfare with strikes sidesplitting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khameini connected February 28, had anticipated it lasting a “few weeks”.
The comments came arsenic External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reached Brussels for meetings with his EU counterparts and held talks with EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen. He said successful an interrogation that his talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had “yielded immoderate results” successful the harmless transition of 2 LNG-laden ships done the Hormuz Strait, and that helium hoped much would follow.
Read: Iran-Israel warfare LIVE
“If it is (diplomacy with Iran) yielding results for me, I would people proceed to look astatine it,” Mr. Jaishankar told the Financial Times. “Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is amended that we crushed and we co-ordinate and we get a solution than we don’t,” helium added, suggesting that the satellite would beryllium “better off” with a akin approach.
Reacting to the comments by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Mr. Azar claimed that Israel excessively “supports” diplomacy, and that Israel was successful interaction with each countries successful the region.
“We are not present to bash a perpetual war… we tin person a diplomatic mode retired of this if the Iranians determine that they privation to cooperate with the planetary community,” helium said, suggesting that 1 enactment would beryllium that the U.S. and Israel would “finish hitting their subject targets”, and past instrumentality “to the table”. The Iranian authorities has said it would not judge talks oregon a ceasefire astatine present, accusing the U.S. of destroying the dialog process by attacking Iran adjacent arsenic negotiators were owed to conscionable for a 2nd circular of talks.
When asked by The Hindu astir whether his comments denoted a alteration of stance by Israel, fixed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier spoken of bringing a authorities change, helium said: targeting the recently appointed Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei similar his begetter was, and destroying Iran’s atomic and rocket capabilities. “The aims of this cognition haven’t changed a bit... Of course, erstwhile our portion is being attacked, determination is an impulse to support the region, and we person been playing a relation successful hunting these drones and missiles that are not lone launched against us, but are launched against our partners successful the region,” helium said, referring to Iran’s attacks connected Gulf countries.
Mr. Azar said that Israeli casualties from Iranian attacks were “less than 2 dozen”, portion implicit a 100 had been injured. He said Mr. Netanyahu was unhurt, and that a video released of the Israeli PM astatine a café was “not AI-generated”, adding that helium met Mr. Netanyahu personally “more than once“, during his sojourn to Israel past week. More than 1,400 person been killed by U.S.-Israel strikes successful Iran that continued connected Monday, portion much than 800 person been killed successful Lebanon. Nearly 50 civilians and 13 U.S. equipped unit force person been killed successful onslaught by Iran connected different Gulf countries.
When asked whether Israel had discussed warfare plans with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his sojourn connected February 25-26, conscionable earlier the U.S.-Israel strikes, Mr. Azar said that portion it was “evident that the concern was precise volatile successful the portion adjacent earlier Prime Minister Modi came… the operational accidental came lone aft (he) left”, and the Israeli Cabinet approved the cognition lone 2 days later.
