United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi to discuss the ongoing Middle East tensions.
The two diplomats urged Iran "to avoid further escalation in the region" after Iranian officials repeatedly threatened to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel following the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, and US President Joe Biden stated that he expects the retaliatory attack to happen "sooner [rather] than later."
Additionally, Blinken and Safadi talked about "ongoing efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza" that would last at least six weeks to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas.
