Middle East leaders seek to avoid war after US attacks on Iran
The leaders of Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait held a series of telephone conversations on Sunday in which they stressed the importance of avoiding war in the Middle East following the US attacks against Iran early this morning.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, to convey the "importance of working to stop the current escalation between Israel and Iran," which have been trading attacks in the past week, and warned of the "serious consequences of the expansion of the conflict in the region."
According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, al-Sisi called for a "return to the negotiating table"—referring to the nuclear talks that have taken place in recent months between Iran and the United States, in which Oman has been the main mediator—with the aim of "preventing the region from being affected by war."
During the call, both sides agreed that the priority is to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as the outbreak of war in the enclave triggered the wave of violence in the region. They also emphasized that a Palestinian state is the "fundamental guarantee" for peace in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held telephone talks with the emirs of Kuwait and Qatar—Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani—and with Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, according to the UAE's official news agency WAM.
These calls addressed "recent developments in the Middle East and their serious implications for regional peace and security following the recent attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran," according to the agency, which noted that these talks are being held to "reduce tensions."
Bin Zayed and his partners urged all parties to "act prudently, resort to dialogue and peaceful solutions, exercise maximum restraint, and avoid escalation," while stressing their countries' support for all efforts to "achieve de-escalation through diplomacy."
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