US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in the Middle East with G7 Foreign Ministers on Sunday amid looming tensions of an all-out war after Iran vowed revenge against Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh's assassination.
During the meeting, Blinken discussed the urgent need for de-escalation in the region and the ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire, said the office of the spokesperson of the US Department of State.
They also discussed "how a ceasefire in Gaza would unlock the possibility of greater peace and stability in the region, including across the Blue Line."
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Blinken and the G7 Foreign Ministers reiterated their commitment to Israel's security during the meeting and urged "maximum restraint" from all parties to keep the conflict from escalating.
Separately, Blinken also spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani to discuss how all parties in the region should take steps to calm regional tensions and advance stability, said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a post on X.
Additionally, Jordan also made a last-ditch effort to prevent an all-out war in the region as its foreign minister Ayman Safadi made a rare visit to Iran, reported the Guardian.
The visit, however, seemed doomed as Iran insisted on Sunday that there was no room for compromise and that it would make a decisive response to the assassination which took place in Tehran last week.
During the meeting with Safadi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked that the assassination of Haniyeh was a “major mistake by the Zionist regime [Israel] that will not go unanswered”, Iranian state TV reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country was at “a very high level” of preparedness for any scenario – “defensive and offensive”.