Iran’s foreign minister said on Sunday Tehran is open to dialogue with neighbouring countries as part of efforts to bring an end to the conflict with the United States and Israel.
In posts on his Telegram channel, Abbas Araqchi said Iran is in contact with several Gulf capitals and would welcome any initiative to help secure a complete end to the war.
He added that Iran would support the formation of a joint committee with regional countries to investigate responsibility for strikes on civilian and residential areas.
Araqchi denied Iran had targeted civilian locations in the Middle East, as several Gulf states urged Tehran to halt attacks on their territories after strikes linked to the conflict damaged energy facilities and residential areas, as well as targeting US military bases in the region.
He also told his French counterpart that countries must refrain from any action that could escalate the conflict.
It follows US President Donald Trump calling upon various states, including France, to deploy vessels to help secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait.
South Korea and the United States will cut short annual joint military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, the allies said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in US participation.
At least 100 people were killed when a low-tech artisanal gold mine collapsed in the Central African Republic on Tuesday, a senior official at a local mining association said.
An Israeli airstrike killed nine Palestinians at a police station in Gaza on Wednesday, medics said, two days after US envoy Jared Kushner ended a trip to the region that failed to push forward Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the enclave.
Thai schools conducted active shooter drills on Wednesday, as authorities moved to strengthen security measures two weeks after a 14-year-old opened fire at a school and killed at least eight people.