Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Monday for an "immediate" end to fighting between Israel and Iran in a phone conversation, the Kremlin said.
"The leaders called for an immediate end to hostilities and the settlement of contentious issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear programme, exclusively through political and diplomatic means," the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.
Erdogan says Turkey ready to facilitate ending Iran-Israel conflict
Istanbul: Turkey is ready to play a "facilitating role" to end the conflict between arch foes Israel and Iran, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call on Monday, his office said.
During the call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Erdogan said: "Turkey is ready to play a facilitating role for the immediate end of the conflict and return to nuclear negotiations," according to his office.
China urges Iran, Israel to 'immediately' take steps to cool tensions
Beijing: China urged Iran and Israel to "immediately" take steps to reduce tensions on Monday after Tehran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities and Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran.
"We urge all parties to immediately take measures to cool down the tensions, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and create conditions for returning to the right track of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
Israel's surprise assault on Iran last week, launched after decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, has touched off the most intense fighting yet and triggered fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
Israel says its attacks have hit military and nuclear facilities and killed many top Iranian commanders and atomic scientists, although a senior US official said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump told Israel to back down from a plan to kill supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
China's top diplomat Wang Yi held phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts on Saturday, the foreign ministry said, in which he made clear to both Beijing's support for Tehran.
China enjoys close ties with Iran, being its largest commercial partner and the main buyer of its oil with Tehran still under crushing US sanctions.
Guo said on Monday "all relevant parties should immediately take steps to put the brakes on the escalation and to cool down the tensions".
"Force cannot bring lasting peace," he said.
"China will continue to maintain communication with the relevant parties, and promote peace and encourage dialogue, to prevent further turbulence in the region," he said.
