Jeddah, 8 August 2024 (TDI): The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has blamed Israel for the attack that killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh last week in Tehran, which has vowed to retaliate.
A statement issued after an extraordinary meeting of the 57-member bloc on Wednesday in Jeddah said it “holds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack”, which it described as “a serious infringement” of Tehran’s sovereignty.
The Gambia’s Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, whose country chairs OIC, said Haniyeh’s “heinous” killing and the ongoing war in Gaza could lead to a regional conflict.
He said that the aggression and violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran by the assassination of a political leader on its soil is an act that cannot be viewed in isolation.
This heinous act serves only to escalate the existing tensions potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the whole region.
Iran and Palestine had called for the extraordinary OIC meeting.
Haniyeh’s Killing Violation of Iran Soverignty
Host Saudi Arabia also said Haniyeh’s killing was a “blatant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty.
Saudi deputy foreign minister, Waleed al-Khereiji, said his country rejects any violation of the sovereignty of countries or interference in the internal affairs of any state.
Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran last week, but the Israeli government has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
Iran has vowed to retaliate, threatening “harsh punishment” for Israel. But the US and other Western nations have been calling for de-escalation.
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On Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said several OIC countries agree with Washington that escalation would only exacerbate the crises in the region.
We would hope that at that OIC moot the same thing happens that we have been trying to effectuate throughout the last week, which is that all parties that have a relationship with Iran impress upon it – the same way that we’ve been impressing upon Israel – that they should not take any steps to escalate the conflict, Miller said.
He added that regional escalation could jeopardise the prospects of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
