In the statement released on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said Israel’s heinous crimes and aggressive nature are etched in the memory of Muslims 47 years after an arson attack damaged parts of al-Aqsa Mosque.
It also decried the Tel Aviv regime for its attempts to clear al-Quds, the focal point of unity of the monotheistic religions, of the Islamic symbols since the beginning of occupation of the Palestinian city.
The statement further reaffirmed Iran’s strong backing for the Palestinian nation and cause, stressing that Muslim solidarity and the companionship of the world’s freedom-seekers will foil Israel’s plots to ruin the holy mosque of Al-Aqsa.
The fateful fire on Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site, took place on August 21, 1969, by a settler named Denis Michael Rohan, who believed that burning the mosque would pave the way for re-building the Jewish Temple on Temple Mount.
The fire gutted the southeastern wing of the mosque and destroyed the 1000-year old Saladin’s Minbar or platform, considered a unique masterpiece and one of its kind in the world.
August 21 is named the World Mosque Day in remembrance of the event.