\u2022 Khamenei urges Muslim world to halt trade with Israel
\n\u2022 Blinken to visit Tel Aviv on Friday
\nANKARA
\n Turkiye and Iran on Wednesday called for a regional conference aimed at averting the spread of unrest into the Middle East.
\nTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian a day after Iran\u2019s top diplomat met Hamas leaders in Qatar.
\nFidan said Turkiye was pushing for an immediate ceasefire because \u201cit is not difficult to predict that this spiral of violence will grow\u201d without a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestine issue.
\n\u201cWe do not want the human tragedy in Gaza to turn into a war that affects the region\u2019s countries,\u201d Fidan said.
\nThe Iranian foreign minister \u201cshared with us that there are strong indications that other armed elements in the region may intervene in the conflict if conditions do not change\u201d, Fidan said.
\n\u201cA ceasefire and peace have become more essential.\u201d Amir-Abdollahian said a peace conference involving \u201cMuslim and Arab\u201d countries should be held \u201cas soon as possible\u201d.
\n\u2018Block oil and food\u2019
\nIran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Muslim countries to halt trade with Israel, including oil exports, in response to its bombardment of Gaza.
\n\u201cIslamic governments must insist on quickly ending the crimes,\u201d Khamenei told a gathering of students in Tehran. \u201cMuslim countries should not cooperate economically with the Zionist regime (Israel),\u201d he said, calling for a \u201cblock on oil and food exports\u201d.
\nKhamenei lambasted Western governments who \u201cstood against Palestine\u201d, naming Britain, France and the United States. \u201cThe Muslim world must not forget who is putting pressure on the population of Gaza. It\u2019s not just about the Zionist regime,\u201d he said.
\nDefence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned \u201ccertain European countries which help\u201d Israel to \u201cbe careful not to anger Muslims\u201d.
\nMeanwhile, US top diplomat Antony Blinken will begin a new Middle East trip this week, a spokesperson announced on Tuesday, as President Joe Biden seeks \u201curgent mechanisms\u201d to reduce regional tensions.
\n\u201cSecretary Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government, and then will make other stops in the region,\u201d State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, without further details.
\nThe White House said later that Biden had spoken on Tuesday with the leader of key US partner Jordan, where both leaders \u201cdiscussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric, and reduce regional tensions,\u201d a White House statement said.
\nIt added that the two leaders \u201cagreed that it is critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza\u201d and that Biden had \u201cconfirmed unwavering US support for Jordan and His Majesty\u2019s leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2022 Khamenei urges Muslim world to halt trade with Israel \u2022 Blinken to visit Tel Aviv on Friday ANKARA Turkiye and Iran on Wednesday called for a regional conference aimed at averting the spread of unrest into the Middle East. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian a day after Iran\u2019s top diplomat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-365639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n