In a radical statement amounting to ethnic cleansing, Iran's Defense Minister, Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, has asserted that "Israelis must vacate the region."

The defense minister's call is an intensification of Iran's rhetoric against Israel's existence. Previously, officials were targeting "Zionists" but this is the first time a high-ranking person has called for expelling Jews from the region.

Former ultraconservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on a few occasions had called for Europe "to take back" Jews that he said were sent to Palestine by European powers.

The statement appears to be a reaction to the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's remark that after the war, Hamas would no longer have control over Gaza. Gallant stated that non-Hamas Palestinians would govern the enclave as long as there was no threat to Israel.

While Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials have commended Hamas for initiating the attack on Israel and their goal of eradicating the Jewish state, they deny any direct involvement in the attack. Initially, the Iranian government celebrated the invasion on October 7, praising it and ordering street celebrations. Large banners were erected promptly, suggesting foreknowledge of the attacks, resulting in 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 240 or more taken hostage in Gaza.

However, as the conflict escalated and the US dispatched warships to the region, Tehran officials tempered their public rhetoric. Ali Khamenei, among others, repeatedly denied the Islamic Republic's role in Hamas's attack, stating during a military event in Tehran that "This was carried out by Palestinians themselves."

Many Iranians find it unacceptable that the country's resources are directed toward supporting proxy forces in the region, including those in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.