TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated on Monday that the recent war crimes case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the conflict in Gaza was not enough and called for a “death sentence” for him.
This was Khamenei’s first public comment following the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last week. Speaking to a gathering of the Basij paramilitary group, which is associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, he expressed that the warrant alone was inadequate.
The ICC judges announced there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that both Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, had criminal responsibility for actions during the Gaza conflict, including using starvation as a tactic and deliberately targeting civilians.
Khamenei remarked, “They issued an arrest warrant for him; it’s not enough,” adding that the situation calls for a more severe punishment. He insisted that “the death sentence of these criminal leaders should be issued,” something the ICC does not have the power to enforce.
The Iranian leader pointed out that the offensive in Gaza over the past year was not a victory for Israel but a war crime. He emphasized that despite the ICC’s ability to impose prison sentences of up to 30 years or life sentences under special circumstances, it cannot pass death sentences.
The arrest warrant theoretically restricts Netanyahu’s movement, as any member state of the ICC is obliged to detain him if he enters their territory. ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan has urged countries to act on the warrants and called for non-member states, including Israel, Iran, the U.S., and China, to collaborate in supporting international law.
Tehran does not recognize Israel and has been a strong supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, groups that have been actively engaged in conflicts with Israeli forces. Khamenei reassured the Basij paramilitaries that Iranian forces, while mostly staying out of direct conflict, will ultimately work towards the end of what he termed the “Zionist regime.”
