Iran’s president says Islamic unity key to regional security

President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday thanked Islamic countries for their support of Iran during the recent foreign-backed unrest, saying unity among Muslim nations is the key guarantor of lasting security, stability and peace in the region.

News ID: 2002625

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which the two leaders reviewed the latest international and regional developments as well as recent events inside Iran, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency.

The Iranian president said his administration’s core approach, both domestically and regionally, is based on preserving unity among ethnic and religious groups and strengthening national cohesion. Regionally, he said, Iran seeks to expand friendly relations and cooperation with Islamic countries based on the principles of Islamic brotherhood.

“I sincerely believe that the Islamic Ummah and Islamic countries are brothers to one another,” Pezeshkian said. “Together and through joint cooperation, we can build a secure, developed and advanced region for our peoples.”

Referring to intensified hostility by the United States and Israel since he took office, Pezeshkian said they have been exerting economic pressure, imposing war and directly interfering by inciting, supporting, and backing unrest in Iran’s.

“They believed they could turn Iran into Syria or Libya,” he said, adding that such assumptions exposed a lack of understanding of the Iranian nation. He said the “broad and conscious presence” of the Iranian people had thwarted those objectives.

He said US threats and psychological warfare were aimed at undermining regional security and would yield nothing but instability.

Addressing calls by some Western countries for Iran to return to negotiations to reduce tensions, Pezeshkian said Iran had been engaged in talks with the United States when it was “attacked militarily in front of the eyes of the world.”

Nevertheless, he said Iran remains ready, within the framework of international law and while fully safeguarding the rights of the Iranian nation, to welcome any process that leads to peace, calm and the prevention of conflict and war.

Bin Salman, for his part, said he was pleased to speak with Pezeshkian and emphasized that Saudi Arabia was committed to promoting stability and security in the region.

He added that solidarity and unity among Islamic countries are of great importance to the Kingdom as well./irna