Arab Analyst:

US Enraged by Shiite-Sunni Coalition to Defend Al-Quds

Rasa - The solidarity shown by the Islamic states' leaders during the Wednesday summit in Istanbul to defend the Palestinian identity of the holy Quds frustrated the US and forced it to raise baseless allegations against Iran, Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm newspaper, said.

News ID: 435365

Date: 16 December 2017 - 20:52

RNA - "The US propaganda and baseless theatre on Iran's sending weapons and missiles to Ansaruallah movement in Yemen was aimed at diverting attention from the Istanbul summit and the Shiite-Sunni coalition to defend the holy Quds," Atwan wrote on Saturday.

During her press conference on Thursday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley appeared standing before what she claimed was debris of a missile from an Iranian-origin dispatched to Yemen and then fired to Saudi Arabia. Tehran immediately and categorically rejected all those charges.

Iran' permanent mission at the UN on Thursday categorically rejected as "fabricated" the evidence presented by Haley that it had supplied Yemen with a missile fired at Saudi Arabia, saying the accusations were baseless.

"As part of the baseless allegations raised by the US administration against the Islamic Republic of Iran throughout the last 10 months, the US ambassador accused Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen once again; a baseless allegation that we categorically reject," Iran's Envoy to the UN Gholamali Khoshrou said.

Atwan believes that the US allegations against Iran was the result of two developments. "First the Istanbul conference in which over 57 leaders and foreign ministers participated and displayed Islamic unity and interest in confronting the US biased support for Israel."

"Second, the Shiite-Sunni coalition beyond the differences and the unprecedented solidarity between the Turkish and Iranian presidents which foiled the US plots to sow discord between the Shiites and Sunnis."

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an urgent summit in Istanbul last Wednesday on Washington’s contentious declaration on Jerusalem al-Quds, with the Turkish foreign minister urging Muslim nations to respond by pressing the world for the recognition of the city as the capital of a Palestinian state.

The OIC extraordinary meeting ended with issuance of a final statement, and the participating countries highlighted recognition of the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The meeting was held in response to the US action to recognize Jerusalem as capital of the Zionist regime and was attended by heads and representatives of 57 Islamic countries.

Islamic countries warned that if the United Nations Security Council fails to act in connection with the American decision, they would refer the matter to the General Assembly of the international body.

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