Twenty nations urged an immediate resolution as Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire on the fifth day since the first strike.
Qatar and 19 other Arab and Islamic countries have jointly called for an immediate termination of Israeli attacks on Iran, urging diplomacy to resolve issues related to Iran’s nuclear program.
“Diplomacy, dialogue, and adherence to the principles of good neighbourliness, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, remain the only viable path to resolving crises in the region,” the statement released on Monday said.
Foreign ministers of 20 countries also “categorically rejected” and condemned Israel’s offensive on Iran, which started on June 13.
Both sides have exchanged strikes following the initial attack, with more than 224 people killed and 1481 wounded in Iran alone, according to the country’s Ministry of Health’s figures at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Iranian missiles and drones have also managed to hit the Israeli territories, killing at least 24 Israelis.
The recent escalations mark a confrontation between the two sides following decades of rising tensions. Israel’s first strikes, which killed some of Iran’s top brass, came on the pretext of halting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons. Despite repeatedly maintaining that Iran has been developing nuclear weapons, Israel has failed to verify its claims.
The joint statement also emphasised the need to establish a “Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction”, calling for every country in the Middle East to join the regulatory Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Iran is a signatory to the NPT, whereas Israel is not.
In addition to urging diplomacy regarding the issue, the joint statement also urged against targeting nuclear facilities currently under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
Israeli strikes have already targeted three key Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow while also killing several top nuclear scientists. No leakage and radiation has been reported so far, despite satellite images showing notable damages to the plants.
“[The escalation] threatens to have serious consequences on the peace and stability of the entire region,” the joint statement added.
Qatar calls for diplomacy in IAEA meeting
In light of the attacks, Qatar’s permanent representative to the UN, Jassim bin Yacoub Al-Hammadi, also called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibility in the IAEA’s emergency meeting in Vienna on Monday.
“The State of Qatar has called for calm, de-escalation, exercising maximum self-restraint, and carrying on with negotiations to reach a diplomatic solution to the issues pertaining to the Iranian nuclear program,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement detailing Al-Hammadi’s attendance.
“His Excellency urged the Director General of the IAEA to engage with the Iranian side to facilitate technical discussions and diplomatic solutions to the nuclear issues concerning Iran.”
Iran, however, reportedly denied negotiating while under attack to mediators Qatar and Oman, according to an AFP report from Sunday, as Israel continues to pound the capital of Tehran.
