Iran pushes Islamic unity through high-level regional calls during Eid al-Adha
Iran has embarked on a series of high-level phone calls with regional countries during the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday. The goal is to push for Islamic unity. Iran also wants to use this against Israel. Iran knows that its proxies have been weakened, as evidenced by a recent Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeting a Hezbollah site. Iran is also involved in high-stakes nuclear talks with the US.
Iranian state media said on June 7 that Iran's foreign minister reached out to Egypt. This comes just a week after he visited Egypt. 'Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatt, held a telephone conversation in which they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza,' Iran's state media IRNA said.
'The two foreign ministers also exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings. Araqchi visited Egypt earlier this week on Monday, where he met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, his counterpart, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi.'
The Iranian diplomat also spoke with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. They 'discussed bilateral ties, as well as the latest regional and international developments,' IRNA noted.
They also spoke about Eid al-Adha. 'During the call, the top Iranian and Pakistani diplomats exchanged views on the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria, stressing the need for unity and solidarity among the Islamic Ummah worldwide,' Iran's state media added. 'They also reviewed the latest state of bilateral relations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high-level consultations to strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring Muslim countries.'
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reached out to United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 'President Masoud Pezeshkian and President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have congratulated each other on Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) in a telephone conversation on Friday,' IRNA noted.
These calls are important. Iran's leadership didn't need to make all these calls for the holiday. Iranian state media is highlighting this to show how Iran has strong diplomatic connections. 'President Pezeshkian expressed his hope that the blessings of Eid al-Adha will pave the way for the spread of peace and ward off war from the region,' in his talks with the UAE.
The UAE is a member of the Abraham Accords and a close partner of the US and the West. Iran wants to make sure that Gulf states will stand by it in nuclear talks. This is part of Iran's desire to use its more positive ties with Saudi Arabia to convince the US to do a deal. Gulf countries want a deal; they don't want conflict that could undermine their economies or threaten their place as hubs of travel in the region.
Iran spoke to the UAE about the importance of the holiday and Muslim unity. 'Pointing to the need to strengthen unity and convergence among Islamic countries, Pezeshkian prayed to God Almighty for happiness, health, and increasing success for the Muslim people of the United Arab Emirates and the entire Islamic nation,' IRNA added.
'UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, congratulated the government and noble nation of Iran on the arrival of Eid al-Adha and wished success for the two nations on this auspicious occasion.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US aware of reported death of American after beating by Israeli settlers
By Kanishka Singh and Menna AlaaElDin WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department said on Friday it was aware of the reported death of a U.S. citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after reports emerged of Israeli settlers fatally beating a Palestinian American. Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the local health ministry, said Saif al-Din Kamel Abdul Karim Musallat, aged in his 20s, died after he was beaten by Israeli settlers on Friday evening in an attack that also injured many people in a town north of Ramallah. Relatives of Musallat, who was from Tampa, Florida, were also quoted by the Washington Post as saying he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers. "We are aware of reports of the death of a U.S. citizen in the West Bank," a State Department spokesperson said, adding the department had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones" of the reported victim. The Israeli military said Israel was probing the incident in the town of Sinjil. It said rocks were hurled at Israelis near Sinjil and that "a violent confrontation developed in the area". Israel has expanded and consolidated settlements in the West Bank as part of the steady integration of these territories into the state of Israel in breach of international law, the U.N. human rights office said in March. Settler violence in the West Bank, including incursions into occupied territory and raids, has intensified since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in late 2023. Israel's military offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's health ministry, and led to accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations and says it is fighting in self-defense after the October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli killings of U.S. citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The United Nations' highest court said last year Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Wall Street Journal
3 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Signals Support for New Israel Attack if Iran Moves Toward Bomb
WASHINGTON—Sitting across from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House, President Trump said he hoped there would be no more U.S. bombing of Iran. 'I can't imagine wanting to do that,' Trump said. Netanyahu later told him in private, however, that if Iran resumed moving toward a nuclear weapon, Israel would carry out further military strikes. Trump responded that he favored a diplomatic settlement with Tehran, but didn't otherwise object to the Israeli plan.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israeli settlers beat to death US citizen in West Bank, family says
Israeli settlers have beaten to death a United States citizen in the occupied West Bank, the victim's family members and rights groups have said. Settlers attacked and killed Sayfollah Musallet – who was in his early 20s – in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, on Friday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Musallet, also known as Saif al-Din Musalat, had travelled from his home in Florida to visit family in Palestine, his cousin Fatmah Muhammad said in a social media post. Another Palestinian, identified by the Health Ministry as Mohammed Shalabi, was fatally shot by settlers during the attack. Rights advocates have documented repeated instances where Israeli settlers in the West Bank ransack Palestinian neighbourhoods and towns, burning homes and vehicles in attacks sometimes described as pogroms. The Israeli military often protects the settlers during their rampages and has shot Palestinians who show any resistance. The United Nations and other prominent human rights organisations consider the Israeli settlements in the West Bank violations of international law, as part of a broader strategy to displace some Western countries like France and Australia have imposed sanctions on violent settlers, attacks have increased since the outbreak of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. When Donald Trump took office earlier this year, his administration revoked sanctions on settlers imposed by his predecessor, Joe Biden. Israeli forces have killed at least nine US citizens since 2022, including veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. But none of the incidents have resulted in criminal charges. The US provides billions of dollars to Israel every year. Advocates have accused successive US administrations of failing to protect American citizens from Israeli violence in the Middle East. On Friday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on Washington to ensure accountability for the killing of Musallet. 'Every other murder of an American citizen has gone unpunished by the American government, which is why the Israeli government keeps wantonly killing American Palestinians and, of course, other Palestinians,' CAIR deputy director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement. He then pointed out that Trump has repeatedly promised to prioritise American interests, as typified by his campaign slogan 'America First'. 'If President Trump will not even put America first when Israel murders American citizens, then this is truly an Israel First administration,' Mitchell said. The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) also called for action from the US administration, noting that settlers are 'lynching Palestinians more frequently – with full support from Israel's army and government'. 'The US government has a legal and moral obligation to stop Israel's racist violence against Palestinians. Instead, it's still backing and funding it,' the group said in a US Department of State did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment about the killing of Musallet. The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the murder of Musallet, describing it as 'barbaric', and called on Palestinians across the West Bank to rise up to 'confront the settlers and their terrorist attacks'. Israel said it was 'investigating' what happened in Sinjil, claiming that the violence started when Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli vehicle. 'Shortly thereafter, violent clashes developed in the area between Palestinians and Israeli civilians, which included the destruction of Palestinian property, arson, physical confrontations, and stone-throwing,' the Israeli military said in a statement. Israeli investigations often lead to no charges or meaningful accountability for the abuses of Israeli officers and settlers. As settler and military violence intensifies in the West Bank, Israel has killed at least 57,762 Palestinians in Gaza in a campaign that rights groups have described as a genocide.
