Rabat: Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, called for political solutions to prevent the expansion of regional tensions. In a phone conversation with US envoy Steve Witkoff, they discussed regional developments and efforts to de-escalate tensions, as stated by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
According to Anadolu Agency, Abdelatty emphasized the importance of joint efforts to prevent the expansion of tensions in the region. He highlighted the necessity of prioritizing political and diplomatic solutions as the only way to achieve security and stability. The minister also stressed the need to intensify international and regional efforts aimed at containing existing crises, supporting de-escalation measures, and creating conditions conducive to resuming dialogue and addressing the root causes of these crises.
The US and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement in April, followed by a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding in June to end their military conflict and work towards a lasting peace agreement. However, the agreement collapsed last month, with the US conducting 13 consecutive nights of bombardment on Iran in response to attacks on vessels in Hormuz, which Washington attributed to Tehran. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Gulf nations hosting US assets.
A drone strike caused a fire on two vessels at Egypt's Damietta Port on the Mediterranean coast on Wednesday, with no party claiming responsibility and Iranian officials denying involvement. US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of a planned military strike against Iran, claiming Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries requested time to finalize a peace deal framework, with Israel also joining the commitment. Trump mentioned on his social media platform, Truth Social, that an agreement on the 'perimeters' of a potential deal was reached, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat. Iranian military officials, however, dismissed Trump's claim as false, with a source close to Iran's negotiating team denying any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.