Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanani, stated on Monday that Iran is calling for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation amid escalating fighting between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israeli forces following an attack on Israel earlier this week. Kanani added, "Tehran has called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss regional developments."
Iran claimed it did not participate in the attacks in which Hamas killed 700 Israelis and captured dozens more. Over 400 Palestinians were also reported killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned yesterday that there is no evidence that Iran was behind the recent attacks on Israel, but he noted the long-standing relations between Tehran and Hamas. Kanani warned, "Anyone who threatens the Islamic Republic of Iran should understand that any reckless action will be met with a devastating response."
Iran's support for Palestinian groups is part of a broader network of factions and armed groups it backs throughout the Middle East, granting Tehran influence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza. The Hamas attack, marking the largest incursion into Israel in decades, coincides with U.S.-backed efforts to push Saudi Arabia towards normalizing relations with Israel in exchange for a defense agreement between Washington and Riyadh. This step could halt the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
