Iran Calls for Islamic NATO

NEWSWEEK-Sept 15th2025

By Amir Daftari

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.

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.

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.”

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