SAEDNEWS: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, addressing the OIC extraordinary meeting in Jeddah, described the situation in Gaza as a systematic genocide and called on the Islamic world to respond with sanctions, boycotts, and decisive action.
"According to Saed News quoting ISNA, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, delivered a speech on Monday during the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, emphasizing the catastrophic situation of the people of Gaza, said that what is taking place in this region is the planned destruction of an entire nation under siege by an apartheid regime. He stressed that the massacre of civilians, the demolition of residential areas, and the starvation of children represent crimes beyond the scope of ordinary war, bearing the marks of genocide.
Araghchi added that the perpetrators of these crimes openly speak of full military control, new blockades, and expulsions, all disguised under the term “security,” while in reality it is a systematic attempt at ethnic cleansing. Referring to international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that such actions amount to war crimes and genocide.
He urged the Islamic world to abandon silence and to support the people of Gaza with practical measures, including sanctions, boycotts, and international pressure to hold the perpetrators accountable and to cut ties with the occupying regime. Araghchi also pointed to the complicity of certain governments in supporting this regime and emphasized the need to confront it.
In conclusion, Araghchi described Gaza as a symbol of resistance and human dignity, calling on Muslim nations and the international community to prioritize justice and humanity over politics and fear through decisive action and practical support. He emphasized that the time for action has arrived and Gaza can no longer wait.
The text of his speech is as follows:
Today we gather at a moment when Gaza stands as a haunting mirror to our collective conscience. What we are witnessing before our eyes is the organized annihilation of a besieged people by a ruthless apartheid regime operating with full impunity.
The people of Gaza are being massacred in a planned manner; entire residential areas have been obliterated; hospitals have turned into cemeteries; and children, in blatant violation of every human norm, are trapped in extreme famine and starvation. This is not an ordinary war. It is collective punishment, a policy of domination, and yes, an onslaught carrying all the signs of genocide.
Now the perpetrators of these crimes openly speak of their plans to impose complete and permanent military control over Gaza. They speak of new blockades, new buffer zones, and new expulsions, and they call it “security.” But we know its real name: “ethnic cleansing.” A systematic effort to fragment a people until nothing remains but their annihilation or exile.
International law is explicit. Starvation and indiscriminate bombardment are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the same time, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits targeting civilians, demolishing homes, and forcibly displacing populations. The deliberate imposition of conditions designed to destroy a people has only one name: genocide. What more evidence do we need?
History will ask of us: when Gaza was being strangled, did the Islamic world speak with one voice? Did we act, or did we wait for others to act and decide for us? Today, hollow condemnations without action are useless. To establish peace and ensure the complete withdrawal of occupying forces from every inch of Gaza’s land, we must resolve to:
• Mobilize all political, economic, and legal tools, including sanctions, boycotts, and coordinated international pressure;
• Pursue accountability at all levels, in every court, against all those who committed or enabled war crimes and genocide in Palestine; and
• Immediately sever all relations with the murderers of our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who today dream of a delusional “Greater Israel.” Appeasement has failed in the past and will not succeed in the future.
We must also confront the complicity of governments that arm the occupying regime, shield it from international condemnation, and veto justice. They are far from neutral—though neutrality in the face of crime is not neutrality, but complicity.
Gaza is more than a land in suffering. Gaza is a witness and a symbol of resistance, a reminder that human dignity cannot be reduced to ashes by bombs. The people of Gaza are waiting for our meaningful support, and their endurance calls us to stand by them not only in words but in resolute action.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) taught us that the Islamic Ummah is like a single body. Today this body is in pain, bleeding in Gaza. To remain silent is to wound ourselves; courageous action is the path to healing.
I sincerely hope this meeting will be remembered in history not as another assembly of speeches and promises, but as the day the Islamic world transformed from a passive witness to a decisive will, from silence to strong leadership. A day when we chose justice over fear, unity over hesitation, and humanity over politics.
Let us also remember that the tragedy of Gaza is not only a Muslim concern. It is a test of global conscience. Therefore, we call upon all nations, regardless of religion or geography, to stand on the side of humanity, justice, and dignity—the right side of history. History will not forgive delay. Gaza cannot wait. The time for action is now."
