TEHRAN – A move by some Arab and non-Arab Muslim states to normalize ties with Israel is “dangerous”, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned on Tuesday, calling on Iraq to help prevent this move.

“Normalization of ties between Islamic-Arab countries and the Israeli regime is dangerous,” Larijani said in a meeting with President of the Iraqi Supreme Council of the Judiciary Faeq Zidan in Tehran, Fars reported.

Larijani said conflicts between certain Muslim states should not prompt them to establish ties with Israel, asking Iraq to prevent such a thing from happening.

“Iraq plays a significant role in this regard since the existing problems among Islamic countries should not lead them into making peace with Israel.”

The parliament speaker also praised the amicable ties between Iran and Iraq, saying Washington has made numerous efforts to cause a rift between the Iranian and Iraqi nations but they have all ended in failure.

For his part, the Iraqi official said Baghdad will stand by Tehran.

Zidan also underscored the strong relationship between Iraq and Iran, saying, “Enemies try to impede such relations via imposing maximum pressure on the Iraqi central bank to stop its cooperation with Iranian companies.”

'Normalizing ties with Israel amounts to suicide’

He also said normalization of relations with Israel by certain Islamic states pose a major danger to the region.

Bahrain held a U.S.-sponsored conference in Manama on June 25 and 26 with the aim of normalizing ties between the Tel Aviv regime and Arab countries.

“The recent Manama conference, held to promote this purpose, was defeated but the U.S. will not stop its efforts in this regard,” Zidan said.

He said, “We must not remain silent (toward this plan).”

The top Iraqi judicial official said normalizing ties with Israel amounts to “suicide”. 

“Normalization of relations with Israel is the red line of Iraq and a type of committing suicide due to religious issues and matters of beliefs,” he underlined.

Israel has been continuously annexing the remaining parts of the West Bank in violation of international law.

Late last month, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior advisor to Larijani, reminded Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa that the monarchy must listen to its people and stop being manipulated by Tel Aviv and pro-Zionists.

Amir Abdollahian lashed out at Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa for implementing policies in the region dictated by Israel.

Relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia is also no longer a secret.

Turki Al-Faisal, the former Saudi Intelligence chief revealed in February 2019 that secret relations between Israel and a number of Persian Gulf Arab states date back as far as 25 years.

According to Qatari newspaper Al-Arab, Al-Faisal was interviewed by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, who claims to have conducted interviews with 20 prominent Persian Gulf Arab officials with knowledge of secret relations with Israel. However, many of these people refused to speak to the camera.

Ravid said that Al-Faisal – who had spoken several times to Israeli media and criticized the Palestinian resistance – agreed to speak to a program called “The Secrets of the Gulf”, which explores the secret relations between Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

NA/PA