Blinken asks China, others to dissuade Iran from striking 'Israel'
4 Min Read
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also says the United States has "warned" Iran over its threats to "Israel".
-
US President Joe Biden speaks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2024. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked China's top diplomat Wang Yi and other counterparts to use their influence to dissuade Iran from striking "Israel", the State Department said Thursday.
In recent days, Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate against the Israeli aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, which resulted in the martyrdom of seven advisors from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei underlined Wednesday that "Israel" "must be punished and will be punished."
Blinken spoke by telephone over the past day to his Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, and European counterparts "to make clear that escalation is not in anyone's interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that "Tel Aviv" has requested assistance from Washington to mitigate the Iranian response by conveying private and public cautionary messages to Tehran, as well as by demonstrating its presence in the region.
The US Secretary of State also spoke by telephone with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant "to reiterate our strong support for Israel against these threats," Miller added.
White House says "warned" Iran over threats to "Israel"
In the same context, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States has "warned" Iran over its threats to "Israel".
"We warned Iran," Jean-Pierre told reporters in a briefing, a day after US President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for "Israel" against any Iranian attack.
"We do not want this conflict to spread. We have been very clear about that. We have made it clear to Iran that we are not involved in the Damascus attack," the White House Press Secretary said.
"We warned Iran against using this attack as a pretext to escalate further in the region or attack our facilities or personnel," she added.
The Pentagon said on Thursday that, General Erik Kurilla, the top US commander for the Middle East is in "Israel" for talks on "security threats in the region" with Israeli military officials.
Axios cited Israeli officials as saying that they are preparing for a potential unprecedented direct attack originating from Iranian territory, utilizing ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles against Israeli targets.
According to the officials, "Israel" will strike back with a direct attack against Iran in such an event.
An Israeli official added that, in recent days, "Israel" and the United States have been coordinating "joint air and missile defense" operations in the region in anticipation of a prospective Iranian attack.
Iranian FM to Western counterparts: 'Israel' must be condemned
In a series of telephone conversations on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed condemnation of "Israel's" brutal actions to his counterparts in Germany, the UK, and Australia.
The discussions were reportedly initiated by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, UK Foreign Minister David Cameron, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and focused on various bilateral issues, but mainly addressed the recent escalation of tensions in the region.
In reference to "Israel's" recent aggression on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Amir-Abdollahian said that "legitimate defense becomes a necessity to deter aggressors," especially when the Israeli regime violates international law and the Vienna Conventions by targeting diplomatic personnel and premises, and the Security Council fails to issue a statement condemning the aggression.
He further stressed the necessity of issuing explicit condemnations of "Israel's" actions and called on his counterparts to do so, noting that Iran is not seeking to escalate regional tensions, but "restoring sustainable security in the volatile West Asia region is contingent upon restraining the warmongering and disproportionate leadership of the Zionist regime and halting its ongoing war crimes against Gaza and the coastal areas."
Read more: Iran says would not be after retaliation had UN condemned 'Israel'
