Arab League Foreign Ministers to Discuss Filing Iran Transgressions to UN Security Council

Arab foreign ministers meet during a regular session to discuss latest developments in Middle Eastern affairs, in Cairo, Egypt September 12, 2017. (Reuters)
Arab foreign ministers meet during a regular session to discuss latest developments in Middle Eastern affairs, in Cairo, Egypt September 12, 2017. (Reuters)
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Arab League Foreign Ministers to Discuss Filing Iran Transgressions to UN Security Council

Arab foreign ministers meet during a regular session to discuss latest developments in Middle Eastern affairs, in Cairo, Egypt September 12, 2017. (Reuters)
Arab foreign ministers meet during a regular session to discuss latest developments in Middle Eastern affairs, in Cairo, Egypt September 12, 2017. (Reuters)

Cairo will be hosting on Sunday an extraordinary session of Arab League foreign ministers upon the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Arab body is threatening to step up counter measures against "Iranian threats" to Arab security and peace.

The Kingdom’s request follows the launch of an Iranian-supplied ballistic missile at Riyadh from Houthi militia-held territory in Yemen on November 4, and an explosion and fire at a Bahraini oil pipeline a week later, also blamed on Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently accused Iran of “direct military aggression” against the Kingdom by supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles.

In a memo requesting the meeting, Saudi Arabia attacked the “sabotage” and “terrorism” of the pipeline fire, which temporarily halted oil supplies from its territory. The memo referred to the fire and the missile attack “in addition to the violations committed by Iran in the Arab region, which undermine security and peace, not only in the Arab region, but around the globe.”

Arab League Assistant chief Hossam Zaki told Ahsarq Al-Awsat that there is a possibility of resorting to the United Nations and the Security Council given the gravity of the situation and the threat Iran is posing on Arab security and international peace.

"What Iran is doing against some Arab countries requires multilateral action to bring these interventions to an end,” said Zaki.

He also said that interference is “carried out through several means, and therefore requires a collective Arab policy.”

“The Arab ministerial meeting, which enjoys the support of most countries, will be a firm message to Iran for it to reverse its current policy in the region and its clear and aggressive interventions against Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Lebanon.”

Another Arab diplomatic source expected that the final communiqué of the Sunday meeting would include "a plan for Arab action to limit the danger of Iran's transgressions in the Arab region, as well as condemnation of Tehran's use of the Houthis to threaten the security and stability of Saudi Arabia.”



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).