CAIRO (Realist English). Twenty-one Arab and Muslim countries issued a joint statement on June 16 condemning Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran and calling for immediate de-escalation, respect for international law, and progress toward nuclear disarmament in the Middle East.
The initiative, led by Egypt, followed consultations between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his counterparts across the Islamic world, as reported by Egypt’s Middle East News Agency.
Foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Brunei, Türkiye, Chad, Algeria, the Comoros, UAE, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, and Mauritania emphasized the need to halt Israeli military operations against Iran amid rapidly rising regional tensions.
The statement stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, upholding the principles of good neighborliness, and settling disputes through peaceful means. The ministers warned of the risks of further escalation and called for a comprehensive cease-fire, asserting that the crisis “cannot be resolved by military means.”
The joint declaration also highlighted the urgency of creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It called on all regional actors to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and support cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy under international safeguards.
The ministers explicitly rejected the Israeli strikes on June 13, labeling them a violation of international law and the principles of the UN Charter. They also warned against targeting nuclear facilities operating under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urging all parties to return to negotiations without delay.
In a related development, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei called on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn Israel’s actions.
“This is a blatant act of aggression. Full stop,” Baqaei wrote on X. “The world expects your office to condemn it unequivocally — no ambiguity, no justification, no twisted narratives. Your mandate demands it.”
