Sopuruchi Onwuka

The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) which is meeting in Turkey will hold a closed session at the instance of Islamic Republic of Iran which is weathering attack from tiny neighbour, Israel.

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According to sources at the meeting, delegates attending the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers will later enter a closed meeting presumably to forge a common position against Israel which is currently battling a pack of dissipated armies Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, which are linked to Iran.

The ongoing war with Iran spiralled from Iran’s open support for the Hamas terrorist group which invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killed over 1200 Israelis in two hours of rampage, raped several women and took over 250 men, girls and women into hostage in Gaza.

Israel’s counter operation to forcefully release the hostages has led to devastation Gaza, resulting in huge humanitarian crisis. Yet Hamas, with the support of Iran, is yet to release the hostages.

Other Iranian war proxies including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza and numerous others in Syria and Iraq have also joined in the war against Israel. Iran and Israel had earlier exchanged fire over hosting of Hamas chieftains in Tehran.

Israel launched attacks after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that Iran was secretly carrying nuclear enrichment programmes that could lead to production of atomic weapons.

Crossfire between Iran and Israel has literally closed the international aviation corridors across the Middle East as both countries take hit from bombs and missiles. And tensions continue to escalate in the region as the conflict enters its second week.

Iran has been seeking end to the daily exchange of fire which endangers its nuclear programmes and spreads panic across its vas population.

And following a request from the Islamic Republic, the OIC scheduled to hold a special closed-door session Saturday evening, according to Turkish media Anadolu news site.

The OIC meeting also comes at a time in the conflict when President Donald Trump of the United States has set a two-week deadline to decide if the United States would also strike Iran over failed negotiations on dismantling Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place in the near future, I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, reading a statement from the president to reporters.

Leavitt said Trump would prefer a diplomatic solution, but the president — in consultation with the National Security Council — is weighing U.S. military intervention to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to a local media report.

The U.S. is the only country with the military capacity to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.

“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said. “All they need is a decision from the supreme leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would of course pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.”

Leavitt said Trump has long maintained his position that the U.S. should interfere to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and quoted his comments on the subject from more than a decade ago.

“The president has made it clear he always wants to pursue diplomacy, but believe me, the president is unafraid to use strength as necessary,” Leavitt said.

“And Iran and the entire world should know that the United States military is the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world, and we have capabilities that no other country on this planet possesses.”