Dar, Turkish counterpart urge de-escalation as Iran war rattles region

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 spoke last evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan @HakanFidan.

They discussed the evolving regional situation and expressed serious concern over the rising tensions.

DPM/FM underscored the… pic.twitter.com/BvN0E4qw10

According to the ministry, the leaders "discussed the evolving regional situation and expressed serious concern over the rising tensions." Dar highlighted the urgent need for de-escalation, emphasising that constructive dialogue and diplomacy "remain the only effective means to resolve issues and promote peace and stability in the region."

Read: Iran says Larijani killing will not weaken system as tensions rise after targeted strike

The conversation comes as the United States and Israel's war against Iran continues, worsening tensions in the Middle Eastern region. Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles carrying cluster warheads in what it said was retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.

The Islamic Republic will hold funerals on Wednesday for Larijani and another Iranian figure killed Tuesday by Israel, Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force, according to the Fars and Tasnim news agencies.

Besides sending missiles and drones into Israel and Gulf nations, Iran has also sought to extract a heavy toll on the global economy, including by driving up the cost of oil by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for crude. With oil still hovering around $100 a barrel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that the global repercussions of the war "has only just begun and will hit all".

Read More: Iranian projectile hits near Australian base in UAE amid widening Middle East crisis

Meanwhile, as part of an effort to reopen Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's crude transits, the US military said it brought out some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal to penetrate adjacent missile sites. The US dropped several 5,000-pound (2,250 kg) bombs, estimated to cost $288,000 each, on "hardened Iranian missile sites" near the coast that posed a threat to international shipping, Central Command said.

Despite the strait being effectively shut, the first Pakistani vessel to transit through entered the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Oman and reached Pakistan’s maritime zone, carrying a consignment of 80 million litres of crude oil.

Turkey, meanwhile, shot down a ballistic missile from Iran on Friday. Turkey's defence ministry said the missile had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces.