As the war and regional escalation triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February and followed by Iranian retaliation across the region continue to unfold, this review examines the responses by al-Azhar, one of the most influential Sunni Muslim religious institutions in the Middle East. Led by its Grand Imām, Sheikh Dr. Aḥmad al-Ṭayyib, al-Azhar represents a major moral and political voice in the region, and its reactions provide insight into how religious authorities navigate moments of geopolitical crisis.

At the beginning of the week, on March 3, al-Azhar issued its first statement regarding the conflict, which was followed by several additional communications in the form of phone calls by the Grand Imām of al-Azhar to leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Taken together, these responses offer a revealing glimpse into al-Azhar’s positioning amid rapidly escalating regional tensions.

This review examines the content and context of these statements, seeking to identify the motivations behind them and to unpack the broader contours of al-Azhar’s approach to regional developments, with particular attention to the political implications embedded in its messaging.