Iranian Spokesman Calls US Attempt to Provide Immunity for Israeli War Criminals ‘Shameful’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry described as shameful and heinous the attempts by US lawmakers to provide immunity for the Israeli regime’s officials sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their war crimes in Gaza.
“The goal of a group of representatives of the US Congress and the US Senate is to threaten and pressure the prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court, to provide immunity for war crimes and genocide by the officials and military commanders of the Zionist regime, and this is a shameful and worrying action,” Nasser Kanaani wrote in a post on X.
“This heinous intervention will create a dangerous procedure that is contrary to the goals and raison d'etre of the International Criminal Court in punishing war criminals, while global silence in the face of such threats hinders the implementation of justice and the continuation of crimes against the Palestinian nation,” he added.
According to media reports, US House Republicans are preparing legislation to sanction ICC officials as a “precaution” against potential arrest warrants of Israeli officials.
Pro-Israel members of Congress in both parties have warned repeatedly that the ICC risks consequences from the US if it moves forward with the warrants.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) confirmed the legislation is in the works and said he and other GOP lawmakers have been in contact with ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.
“We want to emphasize to him that going down this road of arrest warrants is a really bad idea and it's going to blow up the relationship,” he said.
Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7.
More than 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,400 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
