EgyptDailyNews - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China, telling them that Iran must be urged not to escalate the conflict in the Middle East following threats Tehran made against Israel, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Miller said: “Secretary Blinken has engaged in diplomatic efforts over the past 24 hours through a series of calls with his foreign counterparts, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, to make clear that the escalation is not... "It is in everyone's interest, and countries must urge Iran not to escalate."

Miller added that the United States "also cooperated with European allies and partners over the past few days" to deliver a similar message on Iran.

He continued, saying: “The point that the Minister made clear to each of these counterparts, the foreign counterparts in the region and the foreign counterparts outside the region, is that further escalation in this conflict not only harms Israel, does not only harm Iran, does not only harm the countries of the region, but Every country in the world."

There has also been an ongoing exchange of private messages between the US and Iran this week, a US official told CNN Wednesday, as the US remains on high alert for a possible retaliatory strike by Tehran against Israel.

The official said that Iran continued to warn the United States against supporting Israel, and the United States continued to warn Iran against launching an attack. US officials are deeply concerned about the possibility of a retaliatory attack in the Middle East by Iran or its proxy groups in response to Israel's bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus.