TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Praising Saudi Arabia for its stances in support of the Palestinian people, the Iranian foreign minister called for collective efforts by the Islamic nations to stop the Israeli regime's war crimes in Gaza.

- Politics news -

Hossein Amirabdollahian held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on Wednesday.

Amirabdollahian appreciated the decision to hold the extraordinary OIC meeting, lauding Saudi Arabia's support for Palestine since the onset of the crisis in Gaza.

He described the recent telephone conversation between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman regarding the developments in Gaza as an important step at the right time.

The Iranian minister also referred to his recent meeting with the leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as regional leaders and the talks over the recent developments in Palestine and Gaza, saying the US advises the other sides to exercise restraint but it is standing by the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and the oppressed citizens of Gaza.

Amirabdollahian further stressed the need for joint efforts by Muslim countries to end the ongoing war crimes and genocidal acts by the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza.

The situation in the region has reached a critical stage and can spiral out of control, so the element of time is of key importance, the Iranian foreign minister warned.

The Saudi foreign minister, for his part, expressed concern about the catastrophic situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza, saying the attacks by the Israeli regime against Gaza must be stopped as soon as possible.

Bin Farhan also called for supporting the Palestinian people in the face of attacks by the Israeli regime and for guaranteed security for the Palestinian people.

He underlined that Riyadh will continue its efforts to this end.

Nearly 3,500 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks on Gaza since Hamas's October 7 operation outside Gaza.