Iran, Iraq foreign ministers call for special OIC session on Palestine

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - The foreign ministers of Iran and Iraq in a telephone conversation on Sunday evening exchanged views on the latest developments in Palestine, the Iranian government said.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Palestine amid the cessation of hostilities between the Palestinian resistance group Hamas 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 in the wee hours of Saturday morning, firing a barrage of rockets.

In retaliation, the Israeli military bombarded the Gaza Strip, razing down many high-rise buildings on Saturday and Sunday.

At least 600 Israelis have been killed so far while the death toll on the Palestinian side has also jumped to 370, as per reports.

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 that the latest operation is a "natural response to continuous aggression" of Israel against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and 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 hastened to add.

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 desecration of the Al-Aqsa "will not last."

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

The Iranian leader 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 the Al-Aqsa Mosque and atrocities against Palestinian worshippers as the main reason for the latest military operation.

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