At UN, Iran warns US will 'not be spared' if war in Gaza continues

Iran's Foreign Minster Hossein Amirabdollahian warned at the United Nations on Thursday that if Israel's retaliation against Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip doesn't end then the United States will "not be spared from this fire."

"I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome (an)expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire," he told a meeting of the 193-member General Assembly on the Middle East.

Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules Gaza, in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people and saw hundreds taken hostage. Israel has struck Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and is preparing a ground invasion. Palestinian authorities say more than 7,000 have been killed.

Hamas has told Iran that it was ready to release civilian hostages, adding that the world should push for the release of 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, Amirabdollahian said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to play its part in this very important humanitarian endeavor, along with Qatar and Turkey. Naturally, the release of the 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is another necessity and responsibility of the global community," he said.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Parisa Hafezi; editing by Susan Heavey and Chizu Nomiyama)

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