Iran Condemns Israel's Invasion of Gaza

Hamid Reza Assefi, the official spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, has severely criticized the Israeli troops' night invasion of Gaza, which brought about death and injury of dozens of innocent people.

"The usurpative army of the Israeli regime has declared Palestinian territories, populated areas and towns, and the Gaza Strip a closed military zone and turned this district into a large prison for innocent men, women and children of Palestine," the press service of the Iranian foreign ministry quoted Assefi as saying. "On the eve of elections, Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon chose innocent Palestinians as a toy for political competition and took advantage of the fact that the world community's attention is distracted from Palestine by what is happening in Iraq." Assefi urged the world community, the United Nations Security Council and the Islamic Conference Organization to react to Israel's aggressive terrorist acts.