Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi arrived in Riyadh to participate in the extraordinary joint Arab Islamic summit. Raisi was seen wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh upon his arrival at the airport, marking his first visit to Riyadh and the first by an Iranian president to Saudi Arabia in 11 years.
Raisi stated, "It is time to do something about the conflict in Gaza instead of just talking," while heading to Saudi Arabia for the summit regarding the crisis. He emphasized at Tehran airport before his departure to Riyadh that "Gaza is not a theater for words; it must be a theater for action," adding, "Today, the unity of Islamic countries is extremely important."
Raisi expressed during his remarks at Tehran airport, which were broadcast on television, that "the U.S. says it does not wish for the war to escalate and has sent messages to Iran and several countries (to this effect). However, those statements do not align with U.S. actions." He noted that "the mechanism of war in Gaza is in the hands of the U.S., which is preventing a ceasefire in Gaza and expanding the scope of the war; the world must see America's true face."
Additionally, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who accompanied Raisi, stated to a government website that "the summit will send a strong message to war advocates in the region and will lead to a halt to war crimes in Palestine." This visit marks the first by an Iranian president to Saudi Arabia since Tehran and Riyadh ended years of hostility under a China-mediated agreement in March.
