Iran Condemns Israel’s Diplomatic Move in North Western State of Somalia, Somalia Says

Somalia: Iran Condemns Israel’s Diplomatic Move in North Western State of Somalia

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced Israel’s reported decision to appoint a diplomatic representative to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move amounts to a breach of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the reported step was a provocative intervention designed to unsettle Islamic countries and widen divisions in the Horn of Africa.

“This step reveals a strategic plan to undermine the stability of Muslim countries and drive a wedge between nations in the region,” Baghaei said in a statement. He said Tehran considers North Western State of Somalia to be part of Somalia’s federal territory.

Baghaei also argued that any direct diplomatic contact with the breakaway region, absent the approval of the federal government in Mogadishu, runs counter to international law and to United Nations principles on the inviolability of a sovereign state’s borders.

Iran urged international organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the African Union, and the wider international community, to present a united response to what it described as Israeli “expansionism” and meddling in the internal affairs of other states.

The statement lands at a time of rising regional scrutiny and debate inside Somalia after reports of growing ties between Israel and North Western State of Somalia, which declared itself a state in 1991 and has sought international recognition ever since. It remains unrecognized by the United States and most of the world.

AXADLETM