Egypt demands 'immediate' halt to attacks on Saudi Arabia in Iran call

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Tuesday said there must be an immediate halt to all attacks targeting Saudi Arabia during a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warning that continued strikes risk further regional instability.

Diplomatic outreach

Abdelatty told Araghchi that "There is no justification for these attacks and they cannot be accepted," according to a statement from Cairo's Foreign Ministry. The two ministers discussed rapidly evolving regional tensions and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis, the ministry said.

Push for dialogue

The Egyptian minister said reducing tensions and containing regional escalation is essential because of its negative repercussions for security and stability across the region. He also called for "prioritizing political and diplomatic solutions and returning to negotiations and dialogue between Iran and the US," describing diplomacy as the "only path" to preventing further instability.

Regional condemnation

The call came days after Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement Sunday condemning the attacks and reaffirming support for Riyadh’s legitimate measures to counter them. The statement followed a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people and injured 309 others.

Yemen conflict background

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Saudi Arabia has faced a series of attacks on airports and civilian facilities since July, when an escalating military confrontation shattered a period of relative calm that followed a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.