 on Saturday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Reuters.){kind=link}
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to travel to Turkey to attend a meeting the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Reuters, as the conflict between Israel and Iran enters its seventh day.
The meeting in Istanbul will be a special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and is expected to focus on Israel’s military operations against Iran, including Thursday’s reported attack on the Khondab nuclear site near Arak.
Israel’s military has claimed it targeted a partially constructed heavy-water reactor at the site, which independent experts have said could be capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium if completed.
Turkey, a member of the OIC and the host of the upcoming meeting, has strongly criticized Israel’s actions, labeling them as illegal and expressing support for Iran’s “legitimate right to self-defense.” Ankara has also raised concerns that the escalating war between the two countries could engulf the wider region.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to open the two-day session by urging Muslim countries to unite against what Ankara calls “destabilizing actions” across the Middle East. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also scheduled to address the conference.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation brings together 57 member states and serves as the collective voice of the Muslim world on political, religious, and humanitarian issues.