OIC welcomes Oman-mediated Geneva talks; warns against use of force

The foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have welcomed recent Oman-mediated diplomatic engagement between Iran and the United States.

The ministers made the remarks in a communique adopted at an emergency meeting of the OIC Executive Committee held at the level of the top diplomats in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on Thursday.

They expressed support for initiatives aimed at lowering tensions and preventing further escalation.

The communique highlighted threats of use of force against the Islamic Republic and the growing military buildup across the region.

The bloc cautioned that rising tensions risked further destabilizing an already fragile regional environment.

It reaffirmed that threats or the use of force against a sovereign state violated international law and Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter.

The communique underscored that dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful settlement of disputes remained “the only path” towards achieving sustainable peace and security.

The latest round of the talks was held in Geneva, Switzerland earlier in the day.

As a means of trying to pressure Iran into submitting to the United States’ demands in the talks, President Donald Trump has resorted to a combination of repeated verbal threats and significant escalation of American regional military presence.

The Islamic Republic has warned it would not succumb to the US’s excessive demands, besides asserting it would retaliate decisively as before in the face of potential renewed aggression on the part of Washington and its allies.

The OIC also condemned the Israeli regime’s atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The meeting that was convened at the request of the State of Palestine, saw the ministers denounce the regime’s efforts to impose an “illegal occupation reality” in the West Bank, including the holy city of al-Quds.

It declared recent measures to expand illegal settlements and annex territory “null and void,” demanding their immediate reversal.

The ministers reaffirmed support for the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights, including self-determination, establishment of an independent State of Palestine within the 1967 borders with East al-Quds as its capital, and the right of return.

The year witnessed the regime occupy the West Bank in a heavily-Western-backed war. The ministers rejected annexation, settlement expansion, land confiscation, forced displacement, and demographic changes in territory occupied since that year.

The meeting criticized recent statements attributed to US ambassador to the occupied territories Mike Huckabee encouraging Israeli expansionism.

They additionally denounced the American embassy’s provision of consular services to illegal settlers, calling such steps violations of international law and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Amid continued Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, the OIC ministers called for a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in the coastal sliver, full Israeli withdrawal, unhindered humanitarian aid, reconstruction efforts, and support for Palestinian governance across all territories.

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