Iran condemns Israel’s envoy appointment to Somaliland

Iran has denounced what it described as Israel’s continued violation of Somalia’s national sovereignty after it appointed an ambassador to the breakaway region of Somaliland, calling the move a breach of the UN Charter and Somalia’s territorial integrity.

“This unauthorised measure is in blatant contravention of the UN Charter and international law, and infringes upon the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of an independent state,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement on Tuesday, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

Baghaei condemned Israel’s appointment of Michael Lotem as ambassador to Somaliland, describing it as part of what he called efforts by Tel Aviv to destabilise Muslim countries and deepen divisions in the region.

He said the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the African Union, and all states were obliged to confront what he described as Israel’s “lawbreaking, expansionism, and intervention” in other countries’ internal affairs.

Israel recognised Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in December 2025. In response, Somalia’s federal government rejected the move, saying it was unlawful and reiterating that Somaliland remains an integral part of Somalia’s sovereign territory.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a civil conflict, but despite operating its own government and currency, it has not been internationally recognised.

News.Az