Iran and Iraq’s foreign ministers call for special OIC session on Palestine

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - The foreign ministers of Iran and Iraq exchanged views on the latest developments in Palestine in a phone call late Sunday, said the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said that Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Palestine amid ongoing hostilities between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel.

The two sides, the statement noted, "emphasized the need for coordination and coherence among Muslim countries in supporting" the Palestinian nation and called for a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Palestine.

The Gaza-based Hamas resistance group launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

At least 700 Israelis have been killed and over 2,300 others wounded in the attack, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

In retaliation, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 413 Palestinians and wounding at least 2,300 others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to use all of Israel’s strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and “take revenge for this black day.

Iran's foreign minister, speaking to his Iraqi counterpart, asserted that the Palestinian nation has a "legitimate right to resist aggression and occupation,” the ministry statement noted, adding the latest operation is a "natural response to the continuous aggression" of Israel against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian people.

Amir-Abdollahian called for the "coordinated and effective action of Islamic countries to help Palestine and stop the aggressive attacks of the Zionist regime against the women and children of Gaza and the West Bank," the statement added.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran supports the "legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation."

He called on Muslim countries to support the Palestinian nation, emphasizing that oppression and injustice, insults to Palestinian women and prisoners, and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa "will not last."

Raisi also had separate phone calls with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah on Sunday.

Raisi told Haniyeh that the "steely resolve of the Palestinian nation promises its final victory" over Israel, state media reported.

For his part, the Hamas leader cited the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and atrocities against Palestinian worshippers as the main reasons for the latest military operation.

Iran and Israel are bitter arch-foes and have shared no diplomatic ties since the 1979 Iranian revolution. The two sides have often accused each other of sabotage and proxy attacks.