Egyptian foreign minister 'extremely worried' US-Iran escalation will have major impact on Mideast

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty expressed deep concern that a new escalation in the US-Iran conflict would be more destructive and significantly impact the Middle East. Speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, he warned that a second round would lead nowhere. An interim June ceasefire failed, and Qatari mediators are in Tehran attempting to broker a deal.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday he was "extremely worried" that a new round of escalation in the war between the United States and Iran would be more destructive and have a major impact on the Middle East. Speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain, he stated: "The second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere. We have to draw lessons from the past." The warning comes after an interim agreement reached in June failed to secure a lasting ceasefire or restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has since proposed that Washington lift its blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for Tehran reopening the disrupted waterway within seven days. Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday in a renewed effort to broker a deal, but the sides remain divided over whether nuclear negotiations or relief from the blockade and oil sanctions should come first. The article is a Reuters wire report with no additional analysis or sourcing.