The story: Iran's foreign minister has urged the Muslim world to impose sanctions on Israel over its war on Gaza—including an energy embargo. The call for action comes amid outrage in the region over a deadly explosion at a hospital in the Palestinian coastal enclave. Many Arab governments and Iran explicitly blame the incident on Israel. Tel Aviv alleges that a Gaza-based armed group is responsible for the bloodshed.

While the prospect of multilateral sanctions being adopted by Muslim states is unclear, the Iranian proposal could advance efforts to isolate Israel. It may also help Iran put pressure on some of its other regional rivals.

The coverage: At an Oct. 18 emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called for an oil embargo and...