An escalation would \u2018create nothing but losers\u2019, French foreign minister says as US official warns of possible strike
\n Istanbul
\nForeign ministers from eight countries are cautioning the United States against further attacks on Iran after meeting in Turkiye to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and other regional developments.
\nMinisters from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, known as the E3, convened with counterparts from the R4 group of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt on Friday, along with Italy.
\nSpeaking after the meeting in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that none of the countries participating in the meeting approved of another military intervention or attack on Iran.
\nSuch a move would only exacerbate tensions and further expand the conflict, he said, adding that diplomacy and dialogue were the only way to end the war.
\nA further escalation between Iran and the US \u201cwould create nothing but losers and would undoubtedly have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices\u201d, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters.
\n\u201cAnd so the first thing this group of eight countries \u2026 will do is call on both sides to exercise the utmost restraint, because we cannot afford another escalation in the region,\u201d he added.
\nItaly\u2019s Antonio Tajani said the aim was to work for \u201cde-escalation to guarantee freedom of navigation\u201d.
\n\u201cI do not believe the problem can be solved from a purely military standpoint,\u201d he said, noting that \u201cwe must promote dialogue\u201d in order to reopen Hormuz.
\nThe warnings came as the US ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, said Washington could \u201cabsolutely\u201d strike Iran this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u2018First of its kind\u2019
\nThe eight ministers discussed Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, escalating fighting in Yemen and prospects for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
\nReporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera\u2019s Sinem Koseoglu said the eight-nation summit was a \u201cfirst-of-its-kind\u201d attempt to discuss the parameters of regional conflicts and possible solutions.
\nAlthough participating countries \u201call have different national interests, especially when it comes to the crisis in the Gulf\u201d, the Turkish foreign minister \u201cunderlined that what is happening in the Gulf \u2026 is affecting the other parts of the world\u201d, Koseoglu added.
\nForeign ministers of the R4 group issued a joint statement after a separate group meeting on Friday, saying that Israeli occupation \u201cconstitutes the fundamental source of instability in the region and beyond\u201d.
\nThe group urged Israel to \u201cbring an end to further destruction and humanitarian tragedy in Palestine\u201d.
\nThe ministers also \u201ccondemned in the strongest terms the unacceptable escalation by the Houthi militia\u201d, expressing full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised Yemeni government. They also called on the Houthis to cease all military actions and return to the political process.
\nThe ministers underlined the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy concerning the US-Israel war on Iran. They rejected any measures that restrict lawful navigation and called for the full resumption of secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Turkiye\u2019s regional efforts
\nThe meeting at an Istanbul hotel came as Turkiye seeks to bolster its role in the region, including through the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, the trilateral pact launched with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in August.
\nTurkiye has said that the pact is not aimed at any specific country and remains open to others joining, including Egypt.
\nReferring to the diplomatic platform, Fidan said it has \u201cseveral advantages, particularly because it is informal and flexible and focuses specifically on the issues we face\u201d.
\n\u201cWe are not aware of any other platform that brings together countries with such different geographical and political backgrounds,\u201d he said, noting that Ankara \u201cis well placed to play a constructive role in this process\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An escalation would \u2018create nothing but losers\u2019, French foreign minister says as US official warns of possible strike Istanbul Foreign ministers from eight countries are cautioning the United States against further attacks on Iran after meeting in Turkiye to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and other regional developments. Ministers from the United Kingdom, France and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-574122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n