US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged his Turkish, Chinese, and other counterparts to use their influence to dissuade Iran from striking Israel, the State Department confirmed.
The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday that Blinken engaged in telephone discussions with his Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, and European counterparts over the past day, "to make clear that escalation is not in anyone's interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate."
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The recent tensions stem from an Israeli strike on April 1 that targeted an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus. This strike resulted in the deaths of seven members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, including two generals. In response, Iran has vowed to retaliate.
The United States has repeatedly made public appeals for China, seen as its primary long-term global rival, to play a more active role in addressing the Middle East crisis. This includes exerting pressure on Iran, as China is Iran's most important economic or trading partner—by far and holds significant diplomatic ties with the country.
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US Issues Travel Restricts For Its Employees In Israel
Amid fears of an attack by Iran, the United States has restricted travel for its employees in Israel.
According to the US embassy, staff had been told not to travel outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas "out of an abundance of caution".
Speaking on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden warned Iran was threatening to launch a "significant attack" and vowed to offer "ironclad" support to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to meet any security challenge, warning that Israel would harm any country that caused it harm.
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"We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively," he said.
In a related statement, Iran’s mission to the United Nations suggested that a potential Iranian military response to an Israeli air raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus could have been avoided if the UN Security Council had condemned Israel’s actions.
“Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” the Iranian mission said in a social media post.
