Marsudi presses for conglict de escalation in talk with Iranuan FM

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi called for conflict de-escalation in the Middle East during a phone call with Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday (April 15).

Marsudi also spoke with partners in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Germany to urge those countries to use their influence to reduce tensions in the region following the escalating Iran-Israel conflict.

"We are concerned seeing the developments of the situation in the Middle East, and we believe that escalation will not bring benefit to anyone," she remarked after attending a meeting to respond to the conflict, at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday.

The minister emphasized the importance of making diplomatic efforts, so that Iran and Israel exercise restraint and do not trigger a conflict escalation.

She noted that all countries are currently calculating the impact of an escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict on world oil prices, prices of basic needs, and the exchange rate of their currency.

"We will continuously monitor the developments. President Joko Widodo instructed to continue to make diplomatic efforts, so that the relevant parties exercise restraint and avoid escalation," she remarked.

Earlier, Marsudi had also held telephonic conversations with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

The latest hostility between Iran and Israel was triggered by an attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. At least seven members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two top generals, were killed in the attack.

Iran launched a retaliatory attack by firing dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel on Saturday night (April 13).

According to Israel, the attack was able to be neutralized and only hit an Israeli military air base, with no serious damage incurred.