'Highly deplorable': CPI(M) slams Trump for 'openly threatening' Iranian leader

New Delhi: Strongly condemning US President Donald Trump’s "belligerent" statements on Iran, the CPI(M) on Wednesday said it is "highly deplorable" that he is "openly threatening" to assassinate Iranian leaders and demanding Iran’s "unconditional surrender".

In a statement, CPI(M) Polit Bureau warned that "such rhetoric" will further escalate tensions and push the entire West Asia region towards war and instability.

“Without restraining Israel, peace and stability in the region will remain elusive. The US and Western imperialism are using a rogue State, Israel to impose their hegemony over West Asia and beyond, in blatant violation of international laws and conventions," it added.

The large-scale mobilisation of US military fleets in West Asia further signals the US' readiness to join Israel in launching attacks on Iran and these developments are "dangerous and risk pushing" the region and the world to the "brink of a devastating war", it said.

It asked the international community to act urgently to pressure the US and Israel to cease their aggressive actions and return to diplomacy.

"The BJP-led Indian government must abandon its pro-US, pro-Israel foreign policy stance. A genuine commitment to the Global South requires solidarity with other nations to collectively demand an immediate end to Israel’s aggression and that of its principal backer, the US," it said.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran entered the fifth day, the party said the statement from the G7 meeting in Canada adds to this belligerence and it is "reprehensible that the G7 blames Iran, while it shuts its eyes to Israel’s acts of aggression".

"It is evident that Israel bears primary responsibility for the rising tensions and ongoing instability in West Asia. Beginning with its genocidal assault on Gaza, Israel has deliberately expanded its military actions to other countries in the region, including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and now Iran,” it said.

The statement came as Trump, who left the G7 meeting midway, said on Tuesday that the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding but does not want to kill him "for now". In a social media post, Trump urged Iran's "unconditional surrender".