TEHRAN, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday called for increasing delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict.
In a phone call, the two sides discussed the latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank and the need to immediately end the deadly Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed regret over the U.S. veto on a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, describing the move as a green light to Israel to continue killing Palestinian people.
Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, highlighting the necessity to continue contact and consultations between the two countries' high-ranking officials.
The Russian foreign minister, for his part, urged for the continuation of international efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, send more aid to the coastal enclave and form an independent Palestinian country.
He described the recent talks between the Russian and Iranian presidents as "very important," expressing satisfaction with the progress of bilateral ties.
The Gaza conflict, having entered the third month, has left more than 18,000 Palestinians dead, killing around 1,200 people on the Israeli side, according to the official statistics. ■
