Iran Calls for Urgent OIC Meeting to Address Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address a "systematic annihilation" of Gaza’s civilian population and to coordinate immediate humanitarian assistance.

News ID: ۲۰۰۱۷۰۴

07 August 2025

In a letter addressed to OIC Secretary General Hussein Ibrahim Taha, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who currently chairs the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Araqchi emphasized the critical need for a unified Islamic response to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to counter Israel’s plan for permanent occupation.

“The situation in Gaza has surpassed the limits of human tolerance,” Araqchi wrote. “What is unfolding is not merely a humanitarian crisis, but a systematic annihilation of a besieged civilian population.”

Referring to reports from international humanitarian organizations and media sources, he said the scale of destruction could only be described as genocide.

He also expressed alarm over Israel’s deliberate strategy to erase Gaza’s territorial and political identity through military occupation, demographic engineering, and forced displacement.

“Senior officials of the occupying regime have openly declared their intention to ‘eliminate Gaza as a political entity,’” Araqchi stated.

“This is not a tactical shift, but a strategic plan to extinguish Palestinian sovereignty.”

He urged the OIC to convene the emergency session at its headquarters in Jeddah “as soon as possible” to deliberate on the crisis and agree on unified diplomatic, legal, and economic measures to stop the aggression and ensure accountability.

The proposed meeting, he added, should also reaffirm the centrality of the Palestinian cause to the Islamic world and uphold Palestinians’ right to self-determination, sovereignty, and return.

“I respectfully request that the necessary consultations with member states be initiated without delay, and that practical arrangements for the session be made in accordance with procedural frameworks and the urgency of the matter,” he concluded./tasnim