Iran slams Israel participation in Paris Olympics

Iran condemned on Tuesday the "reception and protection" of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Paris, demanding their exclusion over Israel's handling of the Gaza war.

Israel's delegation, which headed to France on Monday ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, is being tightly protected in the French capital amid growing international outrage over the high civilian casualty toll and unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"Announcing the reception and protection of the apartheid terrorist Zionist regime's delegation means giving legitimacy to the child killers," Iran's foreign ministry said in a post on X.

"They do not deserve to be present at the Paris Olympics because of the war against the innocent people of Gaza," it added, calling on organizers to ban Israel.

Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits all contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes.

The Islamic Republic has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

AFP