TEHRAN- The foreign minister of Iran praised Turkey’s move to put a moratorium on the trade with the Israeli regime in protest of its brutal war on Gaza.

In a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the OIC summit in the Gambia on Saturday, Hossein Amir Abdollahian praised the Ankara government’s recent decision to halt economic and trade ties with the Zionist regime as a “significant measure.”

The senior Iranian diplomat denounced the war crimes committed by the Israeli regime in Gaza and emphasized that the Islamic world— Iran and Turkey in particular— needs to play a bigger and more proactive role in assisting Palestine.

Hakan Fidan, the Foreign Minister of Turkey, put the Palestinian issue first among all the concerns facing the Muslim world.

He also concurred that OIC members have to fervently promote Palestinian rights.

Fidan praised increased collaboration between the two countries in regional and global institutions, highlighting the significance Turkey places on fostering relations with Iran.

The two high-ranking diplomats deliberated on strategies to terminate the violent Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

“Tehran keen on any deal in favor of Palestinians” 

In another meeting between Amir Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud on Sunday, the two sides discussed bilateral and regional issues, including the situation in Gaza.  

Iran will back any agreement that protects the rights of the Palestinian people, according to Amir Abdollahian. He said that Tehran “believes the Palestinians themselves should decide the fate of Palestine,” and supports any agreement that ensures the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people.

He clarified Iran’s principled position in punishing the Zionist regime for its terrorist attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. 

The Iranian armed forces responded forcefully, striking the Zionist regime’s military and intelligence facilities that were utilized to launch the missile attack on the Iranian diplomatic site in Syria.

The top Iranian diplomat then discussed the U.S.’s recent actions in the region, stating, “Our experiences and historical records show that the U.S. does not abide by any deal or promise and it continues to renege on its promises.”

Joint efforts should be made to stop the war in Gaza which serves the interests of the Palestinian people and the regional countries, he stressed.

“We believe that the restoration of stability and security to the region and the cessation of the war are in the interest of all the countries in the region,” Amir Abdollahian continued. 

The Saudi foreign minister, for his part, advocated for ongoing communication and exchange of ideas on bilateral, regional, and global matters between the two nations.

“What matters is that the leaders of the two nations have the desire to strengthen and broaden their bilateral ties,” he said of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi foreign minister also clarified Saudi Arabia’s position on regional developments and underlined the kingdom’s unique initiatives to support the restoration of Palestinian rights and the formation of an independent Palestinian state.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, he expressed optimism that a truce would be reached in Gaza at this point and stated that ending the conflict is in the best interests of the Palestinian people as well as having the potential to pave the way for the delivery of humanitarian goods to Gaza.

“Such an attack is in no way acceptable or justified,” the Saudi foreign minister said, reiterating Riyadh’s condemnation of Israel’s strikes on the Iranian embassy in Damascus as a diplomatic location.

The two foreign ministers also talked about how to create direct flights between the two nations and make it easier to issue business visas.

On the sidelines of the OIC summit, Abdollahian also held separate meetings with Gambia, Mali’s foreign ministers, and the OIC’s secretary general regarding the topics of shared interests and the ongoing Israeli incursion on the Gaza Strip.