European, Middle East ministers urge US-Iran diplomacy, not new attacks

A further escalation would ‘create thing but losers’, the French overseas curate warns aft associated Istanbul meeting.

Foreign ministers from 8 countries are cautioning the United States against further attacks connected Iran aft gathering successful Turkiye to sermon the Strait of Hormuz and different determination developments.

Ministers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, known arsenic the E3, convened with counterparts from the R4 radical of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt connected Friday, on with Italy.

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Speaking aft the gathering successful Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that nary of the countries participating successful the gathering approved of different subject involution oregon onslaught connected Iran.

Such a determination would lone exacerbate tensions and further grow the conflict, helium said, adding that diplomacy and dialog were the lone mode to extremity the war.

A further escalation betwixt Iran and the US “would make thing but losers and would undoubtedly person precise superior consequences for hydrocarbon prices,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters.

“And truthful the archetypal happening this radical of 8 countries … volition bash is telephone connected some sides to workout the utmost restraint, due to the fact that we cannot spend different escalation successful the region,” helium added.

Italy’s Antonio Tajani said the purpose was to enactment for “de-escalation to warrant state of navigation.”

“I bash not judge the occupation tin beryllium solved from a purely subject standpoint,” helium said, noting that “we indispensable beforehand dialogue” successful bid to reopen Hormuz.

The radical besides discussed Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza, escalating fighting successful Yemen and prospects for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Reporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu said the acme was a “first-of-its-kind” effort to sermon the parameters of determination conflicts and imaginable solutions.

Although participating countries “all person antithetic nationalist interests, particularly erstwhile it comes to the situation successful the Gulf”, the Turkish overseas curate “underlined that what is happening successful the Gulf … is affecting the different parts of the world”, Koseoglu added.

Turkiye’s determination efforts

The gathering astatine an Istanbul edifice came arsenic Turkiye seeks to bolster its relation successful the region, including done the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the trilateral pact launched with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia successful August.

Turkiye has said that the pact is not aimed astatine immoderate circumstantial state and remains unfastened to others joining, including Egypt.

Fidan told reporters the pact has “several advantages, peculiarly due to the fact that it is informal and flexible and focuses specifically connected the issues we face.”

“We are not alert of immoderate different level that brings unneurotic countries with specified antithetic geographical and governmental backgrounds,” helium said, noting that Ankara “is good placed to play a constructive relation successful this process”.

Cairo has yet to determine whether to articulation the agreement. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi recently said that Egypt would “carry retired immoderate measurement to protect” Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed Houthis are warring Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised authorities forces and person launched a series of deadly attacks connected Saudi Arabia.