Iran Demands ‘Islamic Unity’ After Bombing Neighbors
Iranian officials called for Muslim unity during Eid al-Adha despite the regime recently bombing several Muslim-majority neighbors and remaining in conflict with the United States and Israel.
Muslims worldwide marked Eid al-Adha on Wednesday, the culmination of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials recorded 1.7 million participants in this year’s hajj, despite challenging desert conditions in May. Saudi outlet Al Arabiya confirmed pilgrims completed the traditional “stoning the devil” ritual in Mecca, signaling the start of Eid celebrations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf each released separate Eid messages emphasizing Muslim solidarity against non-Muslim nations, particularly the United States and Israel. Iran remains in an undeclared state of war with both countries following the Pentagon’s launch of Operation Epic Fury in February, which eliminated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and eliminated dozens of terrorist leaders. An indefinite ceasefire currently holds as Washington and Tehran negotiate a long-term peace framework.
President Pezeshkian posted his holiday statement on Twitter, revealing he had sent congratulatory messages to leaders of Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Tajikistan, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. He wrote that he hoped God would bring Muslim hearts closer together and enable expanded cooperation and comprehensive mutual support against shared threats.
That call for unity faces a serious credibility problem. The Iranian regime’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bombed Iraq, Qatar, Turkey, and Azerbaijan immediately after Operation Epic Fury launched in March. Tehran has also conducted drone and missile strikes against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. While Iranian officials have denied certain attacks, including the Azerbaijan bombing, the targeted countries maintain they possess evidence linking the strikes to Tehran.
Iran escalated further in April by demanding financial compensation from countries it had bombed for maintaining friendly relations with America. Iranian Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani declared that Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan had committed acts of aggression by allowing their territories to be used against the Islamic Republic.
Despite these attacks on fellow Muslim nations, Iran’s civilian leadership continued pressing for Islamic unity against the West this week. Foreign Minister Araghchi issued his own Eid statement calling the holiday an unparalleled manifestation of sacrifice and devotion before God, according to state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. The foreign minister expressed hope the occasion would strengthen Islamic unity and enhance cooperation among Muslim countries in confronting war, discrimination, and occupation, particularly in West Asia.
Parliament Speaker Qalibaf similarly proclaimed that stronger unity among Muslim nations could effectively resolve regional crises. He specifically identified what he called the criminal aggression of the United States and Israel as a joint challenge all Muslim countries should combat together. Qalibaf absurdly claimed Iran had won its ongoing conflict with America, despite losing dozens of top government officials and substantial military capacity. He allegedly stated this supposed victory conveyed an important message that unity and solidarity against enemies of Islam could lead to victory.
The region’s most prominent Muslim-majority states have already expressed intense frustration and outrage toward the Iranian government, creating obstacles unlikely to be overcome in the near term.
With information from Breitbart News
