Iran has responded to the remarks made by the Israeli Ambassador to New Delhi against the Islamic Republic on the occasion of the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks and said the main source of insecurity in the Middle East is not the people of the region but Israel's "aggressive, occupying and war-mongering policies", backed by the United States.
In a statement posted on X, the Embassy of Iran in India called the envoy Reuven Azar's allegations about Gaza and Lebanon being 'proxies' of the regime in Tehran as "baseless and misleading", asserting they are "proxies of no country" but people fighting for their land, security and dignity.
The Iranian mission also questioned Israel's claim to be a defender of regional security, citing strikes on Qatar and Beirut, the destruction in Gaza and the continued occupation of the Golan Heights. It said that over 70,000 people had been killed in Gaza.
The statement came after Azar, while talking to NDTV, reflected on three years since the October 7 Hamas attacks, saying the wounds in Israel are still fresh even as communities rebuild. He discussed Hamas's military capabilities and the ongoing regional security threat in the region.
In a rebuttal of the Israeli envoy's allegations, Tehran's mission said that for years, Gulf nations have believed that the United States and Israel could guarantee their security.
"But today, a simple question is before public opinion across the region: Who attacked Qatar? Who targeted Beirut? Who turned Gaza into ruins? And who continues to occupy parts of Syrian territory, including the Golan Heights?" it asked.
Statement by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India in Response to the Baseless and Misleading Remarks of the Ambassador of the Zionist Regime (8 October 2026) The developments in West Asia over recent years have once again demonstrated that the main source of insecurity and instability in the region is not the peoples of the region, but rather the aggressive, occupying and war-mongering policies of the Zionist regime and the comprehensive support provided by the United States to this regime. For years, the countries of the region believed that the United States and the Zionist regime could guarantee their security. But today, a simple question is before public opinion across the region: Who attacked Qatar? Who targeted Beirut? Who turned Gaza into ruins? And who continues to occupy parts of Syrian territory, including the Golan Heights? A regime that, on the one hand, speaks of “peace,” the “Abraham Accords” and the normalization of relations with the countries of the region, and on the other hand attacks Arab countries, occupies Arab territories and, by killing more than 70,000 innocent people in Gaza, has perpetrated one of the greatest crimes in history, can never present itself as a defender of regional security. Security is not created through bombing, occupation, assassination and the killing of civilians. The crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon and other countries of the region have revealed the true nature of this regime and its policies more clearly than any claim. The attempt to portray the people of Gaza and Lebanon as “proxies” is nothing but an attempt to divert public attention from reality. The people of Gaza and Lebanon are proxies of no country. They are human beings who are fighting for their land, security, dignity, right to life and human rights. One cannot ignore decades of occupation, displacement, killing and deprivation of a people of their basic rights, and then explain their resistance merely through political labels. Over the past year, at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran was subjected to military aggression by the Zionist regime and the United States, the people of the world witnessed that Iran, despite 47 years of sanctions, pressure and threats, stood firm against two regimes equipped with nuclear weapons and was able to defend its territorial integrity and national security. Today, like a phoenix that has emerged from the heart of the fire, Iran is fully prepared to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to confront any military aggression. The real power of a “resurrected nation” cannot be changed through psychological operations, political propaganda and media narrative-building. Today, global public opinion is witnessing the realities of the region more than ever before. The political and moral isolation of the Zionist regime at the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly, the increase in popular protests and the widespread international reactions to its crimes in Gaza show that public opinion no longer easily accepts distorted narratives. The people of the region still remember the images and reports concerning the practical support of the Zionist regime for armed elements in Syria and the treatment of wounded individuals affiliated with ISIS in the hospitals of this regime. Therefore, those who portray themselves as defenders of the fight against terrorism cannot expect the people of the region to forget their historical memory. And finally, the world must remember one fundamental reality: the history of Palestine did not begin on 7 October. 7 October cannot be separated from decades of occupation, displacement, settlement-building, killing, assassination, repression and deprivation of the Palestinian people of their most basic rights. If 7 October is to be discussed, history must be viewed from 1948; one must ask what has happened to the Palestinian people, particularly the people of Gaza, over the past decades that has led to such a response. No nation and no society can be deprived of its rights forever and be expected to remain without a response to history. Undoubtedly, the final victory belongs to those peoples who struggle for the liberation of their land, the defense of their rights and human dignity, and the achievement of freedom and justice.
— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) October 8, 2026
Security is not created through bombing, occupation, assassination and the killing of civilians, it said.
Iran said Israel's "crimes" in Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon and other countries of the region have revealed the true nature of this regime and its policies more clearly than any claim. "The attempt to portray the people of Gaza and Lebanon as "proxies" is nothing but an attempt to divert public attention from reality," it said.
Referring to the US-Israeli war currently in its ninth month, the Embassy said Iran has stood firm despite 47 years of sanctions and is "fully prepared" to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against "two regimes equipped with nuclear weapons."
"Today, like a phoenix that has emerged from the heart of the fire, Iran is fully prepared to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to confront any military aggression. The real power of a "resurrected nation" cannot be changed through psychological operations, political propaganda and media narrative-building," it said.
The Embassy also referred to the multi-nation walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address and said Tel Aviv had been politically and morally isolated at the event.
"Today, global public opinion is witnessing the realities of the region more than ever before. The political and moral isolation of the Zionist regime at the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly, the increase in popular protests and the widespread international reactions to its crimes in Gaza show that public opinion no longer easily accepts distorted narratives," it said.
On the October 7 attack, the statement said the history of Palestine "did not begin on 7 October" and that the attack could not be separated from decades of occupation and displacement. It also alleged that Israel had supported armed groups in Syria and treated wounded ISIS-linked fighters in its hospitals, which it said undercut Israel's claim to be fighting terrorism.
"No nation and no society can be deprived of its rights forever and be expected to remain without a response to history," it added.
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