America reveals message it sent to Israel and Iran after exchanging threats

(CNN)– US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday that his country had told Israel directly that “no one should escalate this conflict” while the region awaits Iran’s response on assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau in Iran..

Blinken, in a press conference with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles in Annapolis, Maryland, said that “partners have of the United States in the Middle East this message directly to Iran.”.

He continued: “We have been in regular contact with partners in the region, and outside the region, over the past few days. In these discussions, we heard a clear consensus: No one should escalate this conflict.”“.

Both the Iranian government and Hamas say Israel carried out the operation to target Haniyeh, while Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of It would be a “heavy price”. payment by those who attack Israel.

Regarding the truce talks with Israel and Hamas, Blinken said they had entered the “final stage and could be threatened by further escalation elsewhere in the region.”“.

He said that “concluding this agreement and avoiding any action that would disrupt it in any way is the only way to end the conflict in Gaza and bring calm to the region.” “

Blinken spoke by phone with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi to discuss “efforts to calm regional tensions,” according to a US State Department statement, a day after he spoke by phone with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed. bin Abdulrahman Al Thani..

Blinken said: “We continue to work hard to calm tensions in the Middle East and prevent the escalation of the conflict.”