United States Urges De-escalation of Conflict in Middle East
2024-08-08 13:53:13
The United States has conveyed to Iran and Israel that there is a consensus in the Middle East to avoid escalating the current conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.
“Nobody should escalate this conflict. We’ve been engaged in intensive diplomacy with allies and partners, taking that message directly to Iran. We’ve taken that message directly to Israel,” Blinken told reporters.
Blinken also reported that talks on a ceasefire and a deal to free hostages from the Gaza conflict had reached their final stages. He previously mentioned that Yahya Sinwar, the newly appointed leader of Hamas’ political wing, is capable of achieving a ceasefire agreement, bringing an end to the conflict and freeing the hostages.
“Sinwar has been and remains the key deciding factor when it comes to reaching a ceasefire agreement,” Blinken stated.
Hamas’ announcement of Sinwar’s nomination “only underscores the fact that it’s up to him to continue the ceasefire that will obviously help so many Palestinians who are in desperate need of help,” Blinken added. “It’s really up to him.”
Blinken confirmed that talks to implement the deal were ongoing despite the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who will now be replaced by Sinwar.
The article also notes that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a warning to the enemies of the United States in the Middle East.