Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas

Iran’s foreign minister has spoken with his counterparts in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE by phone, the Iranian foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke with each counterpart individually and stressed the importance of cooperation regarding the situation in Gaza, the ministry said.

The phone calls come after US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk reportedly called the foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE to ask them to send a message to Iran and urge it to lower tensions with Israel. Reuters reported that the officials conveyed the message, citing a source.

Iran’s foreign minister also held a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the Iranian foreign ministry said Thursday. The ministers discussed the war in Gaza, as well as “reactions and consequences” of the attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria. 

Some context: The US and its allies have been bracing for a possible attack by Iran against Israeli and US assets in the Middle East in retaliation for a deadly strike last week on Iran’s consulate.

The US and Iran continued to exchange messages this week, a US official told CNN on Wednesday, as the US remains on high alert for the potential retaliation. The official said that Iran has warned the US not to support Israel, and the US has warned Iran against an attack.