Iran has condemned the "hosting and protection" of Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics, calling for their exclusion because of Israel's conduct in the Gaza war.
The Israeli delegation, which travelled to France ahead of the July 26 opening ceremony, is under heavy security in the French capital amid growing international outrage over the high number of civilian casualties and the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"Announcing the acceptance and protection of the delegation of the terrorist Zionist apartheid regime means giving legitimacy to the killers of children," the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote in X.
"They do not deserve to attend the Paris Olympics because of the war against the innocent people of Gaza," it added, calling on organizers to ban Israel from attending.
Israel's offensive against the militants in Gaza has killed at least 39,090 people, mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-ruled territory.
Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes.
The Islamic Republic has made support for the Palestinian cause a central part of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In February, Iran's football federation asked FIFA to suspend its Israeli counterpart over the war in Gaza.
In August last year, Iranian authorities banned weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei for life after he shook hands with an Israeli competitor during a competition in Poland, state media reported at the time.
In 2021, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged athletes "not to shake hands with a representative of the (Israeli) criminal regime to receive a medal." | BGNES
