Iran, Iraq top diplomats urge special OIC session on Palestine
Palestinians inspect buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, Oct. 9, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


The Iranian and Iraqi top diplomats have called for a special session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the ongoing developments in Palestine.

Their suggestion came in a phone call on Sunday evening, according to the Iranian government.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Palestine amid the escalation 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 OIC on Palestine.

The Gaza-based Hamas resistance group launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel on 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.

Amirabdollahian 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 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 archfoes and share no diplomatic ties since the 1979 Iranian revolution. The two sides have often accused each other of sabotage and proxy attacks.