Israel
Egypt's foreign minister warns second US-Iran escalation would be 'more destructive'
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
Egypt's top diplomat issued a stark warning Saturday about the risk of renewed US-Iran fighting, as separate reporting indicated Washington may be preparing for another military move within days.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain, told attendees he was "extremely worried" that a fresh escalation would be far worse than what has already occurred. "The second round will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere," he said, according to The Jerusalem Post. "We have to draw lessons from the past."
What the ceasefire effort produced
A June interim agreement failed to end the US-Iran war or restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of global oil passes, the Jerusalem Post reported. Since then, Iran has put forward a proposal: Washington would lift its blockade of Iranian ports, and Tehran would reopen the disrupted strait within seven days. The two sides have not agreed.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday in a renewed push to broker a deal, the Post reported. The core dispute is sequencing: Iran wants blockade and sanctions relief to come before nuclear negotiations, while the US position, as described in the report, points the other way.
The November 4 warning
Times of Israel reported, citing unnamed sources, that Gulf allies received warnings from Washington to be ready for possible new strikes on Iran starting as early as November 4, the day following US midterm elections. The Times of Israel report was partial and the situation remains developing; the publication did not detail the nature or scope of the strikes being discussed.
Abdelatty's warning at the Manama summit did not reference the November 4 date specifically. His remarks, as reported by the Post, were a broader appeal to avoid repeating what he described as a destructive pattern.
No further details on the state of negotiations or the Gulf allies' response were available from the reports at the time of publication.
Sources
1. Egyptian foreign minister 'extremely worried' US-Iran escalation will have major impact on Mideast, jpost.com
2. Report: US warns Gulf allies of possible Iran strikes as early as November 4, day after midterms, timesofisrael.com