Egypt leads diplomatic push to contain Israel-Iran conflict
In response to presidential directives aimed at containing the escalating military tensions between Israel and Iran, Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati spoke with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over the phone On Friday. These discussions underscore Egypt’s proactive diplomatic efforts to promote stability and prevent further escalation in the region.
Minister Abdel-Aati stressed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions and achieve a ceasefire in the region. He reaffirmed the importance of fully utilising all available diplomatic channels to contain the escalating situation and neutralise the risk of a comprehensive escalation across the Middle East.
He underscored the critical imperative to prevent the conflict from worsening and the region from descending into chaos, warning that the repercussions would impact everyone. He reiterated the importance of exhausting all diplomatic and political avenues to reach a sustainable agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran says no nuclear talks
Iran said yesterday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict.
A week after it began attacking Iran, Israel’s military said it had carried out new strikes on dozens of military targets overnight, including missile production sites and a research organisation involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran.
Iran launched at least one new barrage of missiles early yesterday, striking near residential apartments, office buildings and industrial facilities in the southern city of Beersheba.
The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would decide on “whether or not to go” with US involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks, citing the possibility of negotiations involving Iran in the near future.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said yesterday there was no room for negotiations with Israel’s superpower ally the United States “until Israeli aggression stops”.
Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this.
Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military’s top echelon and nuclear scientists.
Israel has said at least two dozen Israeli civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks.
Both sides say they are attacking military and defence-related targets, but civilians have also been caught in the crossfire and each has accused the other of hitting hospitals.
An Iranian news website said a drone had struck an apartment in a residential building in central Tehran yesterday, but did not give details.
Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster.
