TEHRAN (Iran News) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani on Wednesday rejected the joint statement released recently by the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand.

After a meeting in Canberra on August 16, Anthony Albanese and Christopher Luxon called on Iran to refrain from what they called destabilizing actions in the Middle East. The two have also asked Iran in the joint statement to cease threats of a military attack against the Israeli regime.

In response, Kanaani said the joint statement has covered only a piece of reality and ignored many other important parts.

“The request for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of civilians, and the immediate and adequate delivery of humanitarian aid supplies to the people of Gaza are global demands, and the international community must take practical and effective measures to fulfill them and force the Zionist regime to accept them,” the Iranian spokesman said.

He noted that the joint statement by Australia and New Zealand reveals their double standards regarding fundamental human rights, international law and regional developments.

The spokesman noted that overt and covert support for the Israeli regime, which has been committing genocidal and war crimes against Palestinians for over ten months, is tantamount to the encouragement of the criminal Zionist regime.

The statement from Australia and New Zealand has truly turned a blind eye to the realities and misled the world public opinion, Kanaani added.

He noted that while the UN Security Council has failed to issue even one statement in condemnation of the Israeli assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in the shadow of the US’ unconditional support for the Zionist regime, the “illogical request” from Australia and New Zealand translates to the ignorance of Iran’s inherent right to punish the aggressor and create deterrence against the Zionist regime’s acts of adventurism.

Denouncing the racist Israeli regime as the root cause of threats to regional and international peace and security, Kanaani reminded Australia and New Zealand that the arbitrary selection of the international norms would not only fail to reduce the regional tensions, but also encourage the rogue Israeli regime to escalate its destabilizing activities in the region.