Egypt urges U.S., Iran to resume negotiations amid rising tensions

CAIRO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday urged the United States and Iran to resume negotiations and "reach a peaceful, consensual settlement" to the nuclear issue, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Abdelatty held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Iran, Qatar, Türkiye and Oman, as well as with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, to discuss regional developments and de-escalation efforts, the ministry said in a statement.

The discussions followed Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi's call to ease tensions in the Middle East, it added.

The minister emphasized that military solutions are not viable for the region's challenges and called for increased de-escalation efforts and finding peaceful solutions via diplomacy and dialogue to prevent the region from sliding into a state of insecurity and instability.

He urged continuing construction communication among concerned parties to bring the United States and Iran back to negotiations and to reach a peaceful, consensual settlement based on mutual respect and shared interests for all parties.

Abdelatty's counterparts agreed to intensify de-escalation efforts and prioritize diplomatic solutions.

The discussions come amid heightened tensions: EU foreign ministers on Thursday agreed to add Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the bloc's terrorist list, a move Tehran called "hostile and provocative."

U.S. President Donald Trump said a "massive armada," led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, is heading toward Iran, warning that "time is running out" for Tehran to reach a deal with the United States. ■