OIC calls for immediate halt to Israeli attacks on Iran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jun 2025 22:39

At the Istanbul summit, OIC member states condemned "Israel's" aggression against Iran and broader regional destabilization, while Turkey's Erdogan warned against a new imperialist partition of West Asia and called for unified resistance to Western-Zionist domination.

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President of Turkey inaugurates the proceedings of the 51st CFM session in Istanbul. (X, @OIC_OCI)

Foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday issued a resounding condemnation of "Israel's" military assault on Iran, describing it as a dangerous escalation with grave implications for the region. The emergency session, convened amid a surge in Israeli and US military actions, culminated in a joint declaration calling for an immediate end to the hostilities.

"The ministers condemn firmly the aggression of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, stress the urgent need to stop Israeli attacks and their great concern regarding this dangerous escalation," the final communiqué of the 57-member organization declared.

The statement followed "Israel's" June 13 offensive on Iranian nuclear facilities, installations monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under the pretext of disrupting an alleged nuclear weapons program. The attack, which killed several prominent scientists and military personnel, was met with swift Iranian retaliation under its legitimate right to self-defense. The exchange has since intensified into sustained conflict, with Washington's entrance into the fray marking a new phase of imperial militarism.

Although the OIC communiqué refrained from naming the United States, its absence did not go unnoticed. President Donald Trump's authorization of direct US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday placed Washington squarely in alliance with Tel Aviv, further affirming what many in the region view as a coordinated Western effort to suppress sovereign powers that resist foreign domination.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, addressing the OIC summit, left no room for ambiguity. "The United States and Israel had breached a major red line," he stated. "The Islamic Republic will stand resolutely against the Israeli aggression and will respond to it as it sees fit, by all means necessary." He called on member states to move beyond rhetorical support and take concrete steps to defend Iranian sovereignty and deter further acts of aggression.

The final declaration of the Istanbul summit also denounced "Israel's" broader pattern of destabilization across the region, referencing recent strikes on Syria and Lebanon as well as the targeting of Iran. These actions, the declaration said, constitute "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of these countries and international law." To address this escalation, the OIC announced the formation of an open-ended Ministerial Contact Group tasked with engaging regional and international actors to halt Israeli aggression and promote de-escalation.

'No to borders drawn in blood'

Delivering one of the summit's most assertive speeches, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against renewed Western efforts to redraw the political map of West Asia along colonial lines. "We will not allow the establishment of a new Sykes-Picot order in our region with borders to be drawn in blood," he declared, evoking the secret 1916 agreement that partitioned the Ottoman lands between British and French powers.

Erdogan also issued a stark indictment of the ongoing Israeli campaign in Gaza—now in its 21st month—which the OIC declaration explicitly referred to as "genocide." The Turkish president called on Muslim nations to strengthen the resistance front. "We must show greater solidarity to stop Israel's acts of banditry not only in Palestine but also in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran," he said.

In response to recent violations of Turkish airspace by Israeli fighter jets, Erdogan announced a significant expansion of Turkey's missile arsenal, bringing Ankara's defense posture closer to Tehran's deterrence doctrine. "We'll soon reach a defense capacity that no one will dare challenge," he warned.

The Istanbul Declaration also reaffirmed the OIC's call for a nuclear-weapons-free West Asia, pointing to "Israel's" undeclared arsenal and refusal to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as key obstacles to regional peace. The double standards embedded in the global non-proliferation regime, where US-backed states enjoy impunity, were a recurring theme in the summit's deliberations.

Toward regional sovereignty and solidarity

In a move welcomed by both Damascus and Tehran, Erdogan called for Syria's full reintegration into regional diplomacy, underlining the need to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states. "Syria needs the support of all of us to protect its territorial integrity and achieve lasting stability," he declared. The Istanbul Declaration echoed this sentiment, expressing support for early recovery and reconstruction efforts in Syria and encouraging development partnerships, particularly with the Islamic Development Bank.

In addition to Iran, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, the OIC declaration expressed solidarity with Pakistan, Azerbaijan, the Rohingya in Myanmar, and the people of Jammu and Kashmir—each facing either occupation, military aggression, or systemic displacement.

The inclusion of these struggles reflected a growing understanding within the Islamic world that resistance to Zionist and Western domination is inseparable from broader anti-colonial and anti-imperial struggles.