"Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, describing the move as an attempt to “fragment Islamic countries and divide the region.” Baghaei made the remarks during his weekly press conference at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Tehran on Monday. “This recognition is fundamentally baseless and meaningless. Recognising a part of an independent country — Somali territory — by a party whose own existence is illegitimate is an action solely aimed at fragmenting Islamic countries and destabilising the region,” he claimed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel officially recognizes the Republic of Somaliland and 'its right to self-determination' during a video call with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. In 1991, Somaliland declared its secession from Somalia following years of civil war. Since then, it has operated as a unilaterally-declared independent state but has not been formally recognised by any other country, although it has bilateral relations with several African and European countries, as well as the US. However, the move by Tel Aviv has sparked condemnation in some circles. The Arab League Council, meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers, denounced the decision, describing it as “an attack on Arab national security.” During the same press conference, Baghaei addressed comments by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani regarding Baghdad’s efforts to facilitate dialogue between Tehran and Washington. Baghaei said that “it is unrealistic to speak of negotiations when the process lacks basic diplomatic etiquette.” Iranian officials continue to insist that talks with the United States are futile, despite US President Donald Trump stating that Tehran is seeking a deal over its nuclear programme. Iran officially suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in early July, following Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, describing the suspension as a response to violations of Iran’s sovereignty. In late August, the European Troika — France, Britain, and Germany — moved to activate the 'snapback' mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran, citing non-compliance with the nuclear deal, a claim Tehran strongly rejects. "