US urges China, Türkiye to convey message to Iran

Spokesperson for the US Department of State Matthew Miller has said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone to Chinese, Turkish, Saudi and European counterparts

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear that escalation is not in anyone’s interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate,” Miller told reporters at a briefing, Interfax informs.

Among the countries with which the US had the talks, Miller mentioned Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and China, as well as the European countries.

He noted that Washington will continue trying to convey to Tehran that aggravating the situation is not in its interests or in the interests of other countries in the Middle East.

“We hope that other partners will convey this message to Iran,” Miller added.

The consulate, which is next to the main embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district, was struck at about 5pm (14:00 GMT) on April 1.

Several military advisers of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were in the building at the time of the attack and seven were killed, according to the IRGC statement.

The statement said Zahedi was among the dead.

Zahedi was the leader of the Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, it said.

Iran has promised a response after its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus was destroyed in a suspected Israeli missile attack, killing seven people including a top commander and his deputy.