Iran is calling on Islamic and Arab countries to join forces against Israel, while the West is cautioning against escalating the volatile situation into a regional conflict.
Tehran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has been under scrutiny since Hamas fighters crossed into Israel’s southern border over the weekend, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,200 lives.
Iran maintains that it was not directly involved in the attack but celebrated it as a “success.”
In response to the attack, Israel launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, leading to a reported death toll of 1,354.
Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, reached out to his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, to discuss cooperation against Israel.
Raisi emphasized the need for unity among Islamic and Arab nations to halt the suffering of the Palestinian people and denounced Israel for what he called “genocide of the Palestinians.”
He also expressed Iran’s willingness to work together with Islamic countries as soon as possible.
Additionally, Iran offered to host an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which consists of 57 member states, but no decision has been reached on this proposal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, is planning to tour the region to promote Tehran’s initiatives.
He also spoke with the UAE’s foreign minister, emphasizing that the ongoing attacks and the Gaza blockade amount to collective punishment and systematic war crimes against humanity.
As a non-Arab country, Iran is not part of key Middle Eastern organizations like the Arab League.
In contrast to Iran’s longstanding stance of not recognizing Israel and its strong support for the Palestinian cause, several Arab countries have been eager to improve relations with Israel.
Iranian newspapers featured front-page images of the destruction caused by Israeli bombings in Gaza.
However, they didn’t mention the over 1,200 Israelis killed and 150 taken into captivity by the Islamist fighters.
While Western countries haven’t directly accused Iran of supporting the militants’ attack, some argue that Iran’s long-time support for Hamas indirectly enabled the assault.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged that there’s no concrete evidence of Iran’s direct involvement but pointed out that Hamas might not have been able to carry out these attacks without Iran’s support.
“So far, we have no tangible evidence that Iran gave concrete and operational support to this cowardly attack,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
“But it is clear to all of us that without Iranian support over the last few years, Hamas would not have been able to carry out these unprecedented attacks on Israeli territory,” he added.
US President Joe Biden cautioned Iran to be careful not to exacerbate the regional conflict.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denied Iranian involvement in the attack but reaffirmed the country’s support for the Palestinians.
President Raisi described Israel’s bombing of Gaza as a desperate attempt by Israel, emphasizing that it’s happening because Israel “cannot defeat the Palestinian youth and fighters.”
Iran’s call for unity has received a cautious response from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both expressing their willingness to work with regional and international partners to prevent further escalation and mediate for a ceasefire.
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