Fabius: Iran Bears 'Heavy Responsibility' for Gaza Unrest

Iran bears a "heavy responsibility" in conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Wednesday.

Speaking specifically of Gaza, where a week of violence has claimed more than 140 lives, Fabius said: "There are long-range weapons up to 75 kilometers (45 miles) and these are Iranian weapons. Iran bears a heavy responsibility.

"One finds Iran in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, in Gaza and each time with very negative intentions," he told France Culture radio.

"The orientation of the Iranian government is extremely dangerous for world peace," he added.

There have been heightened diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, but a deal to end Israel's offensive on rocket-firing militants remains elusive.

On Tuesday, Iran said Israel was solely responsible for the conflict in Gaza and should be tried for "war crimes," stressing that the Palestinians must be "armed to defend" themselves.

This followed an accusation by Israeli President Shimon Peres that Tehran was encouraging the Palestinians to continue rocket attacks on Israel rather than negotiate a ceasefire.

"The unpleasant one is the Iranians. They are trying again to encourage the Hamas to continue the shooting, the bombing, they are trying to send them arms," Peres said in an interview to CNN.