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Gypt's foreign minister has called on Washington to intensify diplomatic efforts and prioritize political solutions to contain a widening conflict across the Middle East, as the region grapples with one of its most volatile periods in recent years.
In a phone call with U.S. Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed the urgency of preventing what he described as a spreading "circle of tension," arguing that sustained joint efforts between Cairo and Washington were essential to avoiding further escalation.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the two officials discussed regional developments and ongoing de-escalation efforts.
The call comes against a backdrop of rapidly deteriorating conditions across the region.
Fighting between the United States and Iran, which erupted following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in late February, has drawn in a growing number of actors.
In the days immediately preceding the call, joint U.S.-Saudi airstrikes hit Iranian-backed militia positions inside Iraq, killing more than 20 fighters, while Iran launched a fresh attack on American forces in Jordan, the fifth such strike in less than two weeks.
Iran also rejected a compromise proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil supplies transit.
The UN warned last week that Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea risked drawing Yemen deeper into the conflict, with its spokesperson cautioning of severe humanitarian and economic consequences "across and beyond the region."
Abdelatty told Witkoff that political and diplomatic solutions were the only means of achieving lasting security and stability, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry.
He also called for intensifying both international and regional efforts aimed at bringing current crises under control and for creating conditions conducive to dialogue and to addressing the underlying causes of those crises.
The call is the latest in a series of high-level contacts between Abdelatty and Witkoff that have accelerated since hostilities broke out in the spring.
The two officials have spoken repeatedly in recent months, with Egypt consistently urging a negotiated track and positioning itself as a key intermediary.
In a previous call in late July, Abdelatty also underscored compliance with international law and rejected unilateral military action as a path forward.
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