TEHRAN – As Iranians began the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday after the sighting of the crescent moon, President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a message to fellow Muslim leaders in the region, asking to work in tandem to alleviate the pain and suffering of the Palestinians and Lebanese who have been subject to brutal Israeli aggression over the past 18 months. 

“With the blessings of this holy month and with the collective efforts of the leaders of Muslim countries, we will witness the expansion and strengthening of cooperation among Muslim countries and greater efforts to reduce the suffering of the Palestinian people, including the oppressed people of Gaza and Lebanon," Pezeshkian wrote in his Sunday message. 

Over 46,000 Palestinians and 3,000 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon since October of 2023. In addition to the vast carnage, the regime has left behind vast swathes of destruction in both territories. Israel has also brought West Asia to the brink of an all-out regional conflagration multiple times in the past 1.5 years.   

Since the beginning of the latest wave of Israeli violence, Iran has called on Muslim nations multiple times to rally behind those under attack in order to limit the regime’s extent of violence. Tehran said those with close ties to Israel must cut their ties for at least a short period of time, a request that almost all Muslim countries ignored. 

Analysts have long cautioned regional countries that inaction regarding the Palestinian cause and Israeli aggression in West Asia would be more costly than allowing the regime and its patron, the United States, to dictate the situation. Egypt and Jordan are now facing this reality, as U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring them to host the over 2 million Palestinians he plans to expel from Gaza, while threatening to cut off financial aid if they refuse. Both scenarios spell trouble for the two Arab countries which are grappling with significant economic and social woes.