May 17, 2026
On May 26, China, as the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council, will convene a meeting under the theme “Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centered International System.” The meeting will occur with the world at a historical branching point, where humanity can choose to go in one of two very different directions. The unprovoked and aggressive war against Iran, and its ensuing effects, has placed the Middle East at an impasse and threatens a potentially fatal escalation into a global economic depression or even global nuclear war. At the same time, the meetings between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in Beijing have opened the door to a new level of cooperation between the world’s two largest economies, creating an opportunity to implement an entirely different policy than that which created today’s crisis. Therefore, it is a very precious moment in history, which must not be missed.
Such a policy was actually discussed and elaborated at the recent EIR Emergency Roundtable on May 15, “The Iran War and the ‘Controlled Disintegration’ of the World Economy.” Speaking there was former Prime Minister of Türkiye Ahmet Davutoğlu, along with Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh, former UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Richard Falk, and others. Prof. Davutoğlu insisted that bilateral U.S.-Iran bargaining cannot resolve the regional crisis, saying only “a comprehensive regional framework” can produce sustainable peace. He outlined his recent proposal consisting of four converging issues, where “progress on any one front is unlikely without parallel movement on the others”:
1. The Strait of Hormuz: Form a coalition of trusted intermediaries, such as Türkiye, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to administer the Strait under a UN Security Council mandate.
2. Nuclear arrangements: Establish a new agreement whereby Iran would deposit enriched uranium in Türkiye in exchange for fuel for civilian use, reaffirm its commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons, and have its right to peaceful nuclear energy formally recognized by the U.S. Over time, the region would move toward freedom from nuclear weapons “including those held by Israel.” (It should be noted that this was the basis for the 2010 Tehran Agreement, which Davutoğlu helped mediate, along with Brazil and the IAEA, and which was rejected by President Obama at the time. Notably, President Lula of Brazil handed President Trump a copy of this agreement during his recent May 7 visit to Washington.)
3. Regional security architecture: A multilayered structure of confidence-building and regional security would be established, evolving toward “a Middle Eastern equivalent of the 1975 Helsinki Accords.”
4. Palestine: Israel would be offered integration into the architecture—full diplomatic normalization and formal guarantees—in exchange for recognizing Palestinian statehood and ending military operations in Lebanon.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute and Editor-in-Chief of EIR magazine, had opened the roundtable dialogue by proposing a complete policy change for Southwest Asia, namely that the nations of the entire region, from India to the Mediterranean, from the Caucasus to the Gulf, adopt a joint policy of “Peace through Development.” An integrated “Extended Oasis Plan,” in which a program for reversing the desertification of Southwest Asia, modelled on China’s transformation of Xinjiang province and its northwest deserts, is combined with the extension of development corridors throughout Southwest Asia. As in the times of the ancient Silk Road, the Middle East can become the hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe again, with a bright future for all countries which are now in a state of humanitarian crisis and poverty as a result of interventionist wars.
When Zepp-LaRouche proposed to add the Extended Oasis Plan to the proposal put on the table by Davotoğlu, which is actually very similar to the Tehran Agreement of 2010 signed by Türkiye, Brazil and Iran, the latter replied:
“I fully agree. The best way of peace is economic interdependency. There is no other way. You can sign peace plans, you can make many declarations, but the best way of peace is economic interdependency. Whenever you have economic interdependency, nobody will be starting a war. So, economic interdependency means development.” Davotoğlu added that the best response to this war is to create a sense of “regional belonging, supporting each other. And I fully share your opinion; and we can bring these proposals together, a geopolitical solution framework, as well as a developmental, visionary project together.”
The participants in the EIR Roundtable agreed, therefore, to send this combined proposal to the governments convening the UN Security Council special session on May 26, requesting that it be taken into consideration at this meeting. Even as the UN Charter must be upheld, the UN is nevertheless in urgent need of reform, which would give the Global Majority a proportionate representation. Part of this reform must be the establishment of a new security and development architecture, which must take into account the interest of every single country on the planet.
A combination of Mr. Davotoğlu’s proposal and the Extended Oasis Plan can be an indispensable component of such a new architecture.
Any and all of the participants in the EIR roundtable stand prepared for further assistance, if so required.
Sincerely yours,
Helga Zepp-LaRouche
Founder, Schiller Institute
Editor-in-Chief, EIR
May 17, 2026
