Italy calls on Iran, Israel to ‘return to negotiation’

Italy’s foreign minister calls on his Iranian and Israeli counterparts to come back to the negotiating table after Israeli airstrikes hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke on the phone Friday with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi after earlier speaking with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Italian ministry says in a statement.

During the conversation with Araghchi, “Tajani called on Iran to avoid a military escalation in the conflict with Israel, a dynamic that would be extremely dangerous for the entire region,” the ministry says.

“We need to return to negotiation and diplomacy as soon as possible,” Tajani told his Iranian counterpart, saying it was the same message he gave Sa’ar earlier Friday, according to the statement.

Earlier Friday, Tajani also spoke with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and the foreign minister of Oman, Badr al-Busaidi.