 "US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Source: Reuters")
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China and European countries to use influence to dissuade Iran from striking Israel.
During a phone call, Blinken insisted the foreign ministers convince Iran to avoid escalating the conflict, emphasising that such “escalation is not in anyone’s interest”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Earlier, US intelligence suggested an “imminent” attack on Israeli assets by Tehran following an alleged airstrike on the Syrian embassy on April 2 that killed top Iranian military officials, including a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. Later, Iran vowed to retaliate with a “serious response”.
US says it has ’no involvement’ in Israeli strike
The United States has been on high alert about possible retaliatory strikes and has communicated to Iran that it did not have any role in the Syrian embassy attack.
“We communicated to Iran that the US had no involvement in the strike that happened in Damascus and we have warned Iran not to use this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region or to attack US facilities or personnel,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
On Thursday, the US issued an embassy notice restricting the movements of its diplomats in Israel “until further notice” over security fears.
US vows ‘ironclad’ support to Israel
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View AllPresident Joe Biden who has recently been critical of Israel over its Gaza War, has promised “ironclad” support earlier this week after Iran threatened to launch a “significant attack” on Israel.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again: ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security,” Biden had said during a conference with Japanese PM Kishida.
Blinken had also spoken by telephone with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “to reiterate our strong support for Israel against these threats,” Miller said.