Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, describing the decision as “meaningless” and a threat to regional stability.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday morning, spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the recognition by Israel, a regime whose own legitimacy is questioned, was part of a broader agenda to divide the Horn of Africa and weaken the region.

“No country has endorsed this recognition,” Baghaei noted, highlighting that regional states voiced unified opposition. Statements from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the African Union also denounced Israel’s move.

Baghaei added that the Somali government and its citizens have explicitly protested the recognition, framing the decision as a tactic to destabilize the wider region, including the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

He urged the international community to recognize the reality of Israel’s divisive actions, emphasizing that Tehran views such moves as efforts to sow discord and insecurity across the region.

Israeli regime's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Tel Aviv had formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations.

The move has drawn widespread international condemnation, including from Somalia, the African Union, the Arab League, and several regional powers, who view it as a violation of Somalia's territorial integrity.

Addressing an emergency joint session of parliament on Sunday, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Netanyahu had committed the “greatest abuse” of Somalia’s sovereignty in the nation’s history.

“I urge the Somali people to remain calm and to defend the unity and independence of our country, which is facing a naked invasion,” Mohamud said.

Somalia’s lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution declaring Israel’s recognition of Somaliland “null and void.”

The resolution warned that any individuals or institutions violating Somalia’s sovereignty would face legal consequences under domestic and international law.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following a brutal civil war, but has never been recognized by any United Nations member state.