WANA (Jul 05) – Despite the fact that formal diplomatic relations between Iran and Libya are severely limited—due to the closure of Iran’s embassy in Tripoli and the absence of cultural exchange channels—Iran’s persistent efforts to maintain and strengthen ties with Libyan elites and officials appear to have borne fruit.

 

In recent years, faced with the lack of conventional diplomatic channels, Iran’s diplomatic apparatus has leveraged longstanding relations and popular connections to activate alternative pathways.

 

The result of this creative and persistent diplomacy recently emerged in the form of a powerful and widely resonant statement. The Grand Mufti of Libya, one of the country’s highest religious and political authorities, issued a clear and public condemnation of Israel’s crimes. He explicitly voiced his support for the Islamic Republic of Iran and affirmed solidarity with the Iranian people in the face of enemy conspiracies.

People attend a gathering to support Iran’s Armed Forces following the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, June 24, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

In his statement, Sadiq al-Ghariani said: “This week, the main issue capturing the world’s attention, media coverage, and international concern has been the massacres and acts of genocide in Gaza and Israel’s aggression against Iran. From our religious perspective, the battle between Israel and Iran is a war between a non-Muslim, aggressor regime and a Muslim country that has been attacked unjustly, whose citizens have been assassinated and martyred.”

 

He added: “This regime acts with the support of non-Muslim Western countries, which themselves conspire against Iran precisely because it is a Muslim country.”

 

The Grand Mufti of Libya emphasized: “The reason for this Western behavior is that whenever a conflict erupts between Muslims and non-Muslims, all principles of state sovereignty, international law, and human rights, as supposedly upheld by the United Nations and the Security Council, are simply abandoned.”

 

The issuance of such a statement by a highly influential and respected figure in Libyan society carries multifaceted significance. First, it underscores the enduring depth of the historic goodwill between the Iranian and Libyan peoples, independent of political fluctuations or temporary diplomatic restrictions. Second, it demonstrates the effectiveness of unconventional diplomacy and the use of popular and elite networks in challenging circumstances. Third, the Grand Mufti’s statement, as an important and official stance, showcases the support of a significant segment of Libyan public opinion and religious institutions for Iran’s positions on the international stage—particularly regarding the Palestinian issue—and makes a substantial contribution to reinforcing the discourse of resistance in the region.