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By Amir Daftari
News Reporter
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Iran and Egypt are spearheading new calls for a NATO-style alliance in the Middle East as their leaders gather in Qatar on Monday for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The proposal, spurred by Israel's recent strike on a residential compound in Doha that housed Hamas negotiators, represents the most serious push in decades for a unified regional defense pact.
Newsweek has contacted to the Foreign Ministries of Egypt and Iran for comment.
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Why It Matters
The latest escalation reflects a dramatic shift in Middle Eastern security priorities. Following a 12-day series of Israeli attacks on Iranian targets earlier this year, ongoing strikes in Gaza, and Israel's recent attack on Doha, Muslim leaders are increasingly portraying Israel as the destabilizing force across the region.
Arab and Iranian officials warn that failure to act could leave states across the Middle East vulnerable to further Israeli operations. The emergency OIC summit is now seen as a pivotal moment to determine whether Muslim nations can transform calls for unity into a concrete collective security framework.
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What To Know
Egypt, commanding the Arab world's largest army, is pushing for a Cairo-based joint military command. Senior Iranian officials are pressing for an even broader coalition.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq could be future targets unless the bloc acts decisively, declaring that "the only solution is forming a military coalition."
Senior Iranian cleric Jalal Razavi-Mehr amplified the message, calling for a single Islamic army with shared defensive and offensive doctrines. At the same time, Iranian diplomats urged caution. Mehdi Shoushtari of the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said it was "still too early" to formalize a pact but noted conditions were "more favorable than in the past."
Meanwhile, Pakistan, the world's only nuclear-armed Muslim state, has also urged the creation of a joint task force to monitor Israeli actions and adopt coordinated deterrent and offensive measures.
Qatar's Rebuke
On Sunday, Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani condemned the Israeli strike as "an assault on the principle of mediation itself." He faulted the international community for failing to restrain Israel and urged Muslim nations to adopt "real and tangible measures" to avoid "an endless cycle of bloodshed and destruction."
The OIC, encompassing 57 member states, has historically limited itself to symbolic declarations.
Monday's meeting is now seen as a critical test of whether rhetoric can be transformed into coordinated military action. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's attendance signals Iran's determination to assert influence in a bloc often dominated by Arab leadership.
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Washington on the Sidelines
The strike has also raised questions about U.S. reliability as a security guarantor. U.S. officials said the Trump administration was "not happy" with Israel's actions in Doha but stopped short of condemnation.
Days after the attack, President Donald Trump cautioned that Washington must "be careful" in responding, highlighting tensions between two of America's key Middle Eastern allies.
The strike, which killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, has fueled Arab and Muslim calls for solidarity and accountability, while Qatar's status as host to the largest U.S. military base in the region adds further strategic complexity.
Elsewhere, Senator Marco Rubio's visit to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the widening gap between Arab capitals and Washington's ally.
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What People Are Saying
Mohsen Rezaei, member of Iran's Expediency Council: "The only solution is forming a military coalition."
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani: "This is a clear message to the region as a whole and that message is that there's a rogue player in the region."
President Donald Trump: "Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be careful. When we attack people we have to be careful."
What Happens Next
The OIC's deliberations will reveal whether calls for a regional NATO result in concrete commitments. If adopted, a joint Muslim defense pact could reshape the balance of power in the Middle East while testing Washington's role as the region's security guarantor.
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