President Museveni has called for a return to principled diplomacy in the Middle East, appealing to both Iran and Israel to end their mutual hostilities and embrace a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
In a detailed statement issued on June 22, 2025, the Ugandan leader — who is also the current Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) — responded to criticism from the Iranian ambassador in Kampala over Uganda’s silence on recent developments in the region.
Museveni, known for his historical references and ideological clarity, said his government had intentionally withheld comment to allow room for reflection, but emphasized that Uganda has always supported the politics of legitimate interests over identity-based chauvinism.
“We abhor chauvinism of identity — race, tribe, religion — and always stand for the politics of interests,” Museveni said. “With that outlook, we have noticed and told most of the concerned actors their mistakes.”
He criticized four sets of actors whom he said have historically mishandled the situation:
Iranian Islamists: Museveni faulted Tehran for rejecting Israel’s right to exist, calling it a “mistake” rooted in misinterpretation of history.
He argued that Jews have a legitimate claim to the land based on biblical history and that the 1947 UN partition of Palestine into two states was the most just solution.
Israel: The president accused successive Israeli governments of refusing to implement the two-state solution, denying the Palestinian people their rightful claim to land.
“You cannot say that they do not belong there,” he said, comparing such logic to former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s expulsion of Indian-Ugandans.
Western powers: Museveni pointed to the 1953 CIA-backed coup in Iran that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh as a major source of present-day hostility in the region.
He said the intervention created the conditions for the rise of fundamentalist clerics and anti-Western sentiment.
Use of force: He warned against the belief that external military interventions can solve internal political problems, arguing that they often backfire.
“Force should be for legitimate defence and not for aggression,” Museveni said, citing historical examples like the failed intervention in Soviet Russia and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The president urged all actors in the Middle East to “draw back from the use of force and go back to principled diplomacy.”
He called on Iran to recognize Israel and for Israel to embrace a two-state solution.
Ending on a spiritual note, Museveni proposed a unified prayer effort.
“We are all praying people,” he said. “May we have the willingness to humble ourselves and pray and ask for God’s wisdom, that we may do what is right in His eyes.”
Museveni’s intervention comes as tensions escalate in the Middle East following a series of military confrontations between Israel, Iran, and U.S. forces in the region.
His remarks as NAM chair are likely to resonate with member states seeking a non-aligned, diplomatic path forward.