Iran's FM Urges Muslim Unity, Emphasizing Brotherhood: Why Now?

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has issued a message calling for pan-Islamic solidarity immediately after three Sunni Muslim countries—Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey—signed a joint defense pact, dubbed the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty.

On the 7th local time, Araghchi posted on X, stating, "Iran's powerful military has demonstrated full readiness, capability, and dignity against the world's largest-budget military (the U.S. military)."

He added, "When Muslims unite, we can face any challenge from malicious external forces head-on," and "Now is the time to rely solely on ourselves and embrace true brotherhood."

Araghchi's remarks came right after Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Sunni bloc; Pakistan, the Arab world's only nuclear-armed state; and Turkey, which boasts the second-largest military power within NATO, signed the joint defense treaty in Mecca, Islam's holiest site located in Saudi Arabia.

Among them, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were targeted by Iranian attacks during the war between Iran, the U.S., and Israel.

Araghchi did not directly mention the three Sunni nations' defense treaty that day.

However, his message can be interpreted as a call for the pan-Islamic bloc to unite and reject external forces, including the United States, directed at the three Sunni nations that formed the defense pact to counter the Iran-led Shiite Axis of Resistance.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.