Ebrahim Raisi

Iran's top diplomat said Thursday his country has told the United States that it is not seeking escalation after an unprecedented attack on Israel.

Israel and Iran traded threats after Tehran's first-ever direct attack on its arch-foe sharply heightened tensions in a region already on edge after six months of war in Gaza.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that further escalation in the Middle East could have "catastrophic consequences," during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Israel struck war-battered Gaza overnight, Hamas and witnesses said Monday, as world leaders urged de-escalation awaiting Israel's reaction to Iran's unprecedented attack that heightened fears of wider conflict.

In the midst of local election tallies, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has engaged in diplomatic exchanges via telephone with several global leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Feb. 2 that his country will not start a war, but it will "respond strongly" to anyone who bullies it amid remarks by U.S. officials on attack plans on Iranian sites in the Middle East.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, have concluded talks in the capital Ankara with the signing of 10 agreements and memorandums of understanding spanning various sectors.

The high-level talks marked the eighth meeting of the cooperation council between the two nations, held to enhance collaboration since its establishment in 2014.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was set to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the widening conflict in Gaza and energy cooperation between the two neighbors.

Raisi had twice postponed his visit, initially set for November, over scheduling issues and attacks in Iran's southeastern city of Kerman.

BELGRADE - In a telephone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic extended his condolences over the terror attack in the Iranian city of Kerman in which two blasts killed more than a hundred people.

"Serbia condemns all forms of terrorism," Vucic said during the conversation.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi joined mourners in Kerman on Friday for the funerals of the 89 people killed in twin blasts claimed by the ISIL, state media said.