Saudi Arabia has prohibited representatives of Iran from attending a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah on Monday, angering the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The Emergency Open-Ended Executive Committee Ministerial Meeting in Jeddah was held upon the request of the Palestinian government, and the invitation of the OIC secretary-general to discuss recent developments with regards US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan.
The Saudi government has refused to issue visas for the Iranian delegation, ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi disclosed, prompting Tehran to send a formal protest note to the Secretariat of the OIC.
Mousavi said that Iran, being an active member of the organization, has been invited by the OIC secretary-general to participate in the meeting, however, "the Saudi government has barred the Islamic Republic from attending."
Mousavi said Iranian authorities have filed a formal complaint with the OIC and accused the Kingdom of abusing its position as the host for the organization's headquarters. Saudi officials did not immediately comment.
The spokesman said that Saudi Arabia has blatantly violated the principles of hosting the OIC meeting and has denied the issuance of visas for the Iranian delegation.
Implementing a ban on the free participation of member countries in organization meetings in Jeddah, especially on a crucial matter like Palestine, seriously questions Saudi Arabia's competence to continue hosting the Islamic Cooperation Organization's meetings, Mousavi explained.
The Islamic Republic has also condemned Trump's plan for resolving the conflict between Palestine and Israel as a non-starter point in the meeting after it was officially announced last week.
The Palestinian government has junked the peace plan and said it was heavily biased on Israel and will deny them a viable independent authority.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are engaged in a proxy war as the two countries vie for influence across the Middle East. They support opposite sides in the ongoing conflicts Yemen and Syria.
Trump unveiled his so-called "Deal of the Century," early Tuesday and negotiated with the Israeli government but without the Palestinian delegation.
Palestinian leaders, who cut all diplomatic relations with the US in late 2017 after Trump controversially recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel, immediately trashed the peace proposal, with President Mahmoud Abbas announcing it belongs to the "dustbin of history."
Established in 1969, the OIC is an international body comprised of 57 member countries with a collective population of more than 1.8 billion as of 2015 with 53 official states consisting of Muslim-majority countries.
