Iran is making no secret of its support for Somalia’s Federal Government as tensions escalate over Israel’s growing engagement with Somaliland.
Days after Israel formally presented its ambassador in Hargeisa, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei strongly condemned the move, accusing Israel of exploiting regional divisions to advance its political interests.
Baghaei described Israel as a regime that is “itself illegitimate, founded on the usurpation of a land, and naturally seeks to build alliances and sow division and discord among regional and Islamic countries.”
He said Israel’s appointment of an ambassador to Somaliland directly contradicts the UN Charter and international law, while violating Somalia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
“Isreal itself is an illegitimate regime,” he claimed.
The Iranian condemnation followed a ceremony in Hargeisa where Israel’s Ambassador to Somaliland, Michael Lotem, presented his credentials to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
The event was followed by the announcement of the Israel’s proposed embassy in Somaliland.
Tel Aviv described the developments as another step in implementing the mutual recognition agreement announced on December 26, 2025.
Iran’s response signals Tehran’s alignment with Mogadishu’s position against Somaliland’s recognition by Israel, adding another international dimension to the growing diplomatic dispute over Somalia’s territorial integrity and Israel’s expanding engagement in the Horn of Africa.
Following the ceremony in Hargeisa last week, Lotem pledged Israel’s support for strengthening the Somaliland-Israel partnership in several areas, including security, economic development and science.
President Irro described the presentation of credentials as a historic development that Somalilanders would remember for years.
“it shows the Somaliland and Israel strategic willingness to build enduring and mutual beneficial partnership,” he added.
He also welcomed Israel’s plans to establish a full embassy in Hargeisa, which would make Israel the first country to open a resident embassy in Somaliland since the territory declared the restoration of its independence in 1991.
The diplomatic developments have drawn strong opposition from Somalia’s Federal Government, which condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, while the Arab League bloc also rejected the move and reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Israel announced its recognition of Somaliland on December 26, 2025, a decision that Mogadishu continues to reject, arguing that Somaliland remains part of Somalia.
Iran’s public backing of Mogadishu comes against the backdrop of its wider confrontation with Israel and the United States. Tehran’s support for Somalia is particularly notable as the Donald Trump administration and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran since February 2026.
The developments highlight how the Somaliland recognition dispute is increasingly intersecting with broader regional and international rivalries, drawing in countries whose positions are shaped by wider diplomatic and security interests in the Horn of Africa.