Tehran, 27 August

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian proposed a “mutual security and non-aggression pact” among Muslim countries to safeguard regional security amid US-Israeli acts of aggression, according to state media. 

“The first (proposal) is a mutual security and non-aggression pact among Muslim countries, under which they commit to respecting one another’s territorial integrity,” he said in an address to the 40th International Conference on Islamic Unity in Tehran on Thursday. “They should not allow their territory, airspace, or facilities to be used to attack another Muslim country. They should not support efforts to divide or destabilise one another, nor define their own security at the cost of others’ security. Instead, they should work together to manage regional security.”

Defending Iran does not mean being hostile toward Muslim and neighbouring nations. No Muslim country should allow its territory to be used as a platform for aggression against another Muslim country, and no Muslim country should seek its own security at the expense of its neighbour’s security,” he went on to say.

Iran had repeatedly targeted several Gulf-Arab countries during the height of the war with the US and Israel, saying that American military airbases in the neighbouring countries could be considered “legitimate” targets. His comments also come after the Mecca Pact was signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which states that an attack on one could be considered an attack on all. 

Pezeshkian’s other proposals included a permanent mechanism for mediation in the case of conflicts in the “Muslim world”, as well as expanded market and scientific cooperation. 

Qatar PM in Tehran

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was in Tehran on Thursday seeking to revive diplomatic talks between Iran and Washington. He met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and also discussed the recent deal between Iran and Oman which seeks to manage the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement. 

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei mocked the new US sanctions as a “pure parody”, claiming that everything announced as part of President Donald Trump’s “economic D-Day” plan was already sanctioned before.