A summit of over 50 Muslim countries criticized Iran on Friday for supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbors.

The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which concluded its meeting in Istanbul on Friday, stated as part of its final communique that it “deplored Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of the States of the region and other Member States including Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia, and its continued support for terrorism.”

Iran supports the regime of Syrian dicator Bashar al-Assad, who is opposed by Turkey and many Sunni Arab countries. Iran also supports the Houthi rebels, who are fighting the Saudi- and American-backed government of Yemen.

The communique also called for “cooperative relations” between Iran and other Muslim nations and to refrain from using or threatening force.

The language criticizing Iran was included a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the summit that the group “should not convey any message of disunity and division.”

Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United States, warned in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week that even after agreeing to a nuclear deal with world powers last year, Iran remains  “hostile, expansionist, violent” and “as dangerous as ever.”

Last month, the six Gulf states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council labeled Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, as a terrorist group.

[Photo: TRT World / YouTube ]