Israel military calls Iran an expanding global threat

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos on Friday, Iranian media reported.

Separately, the foreign ministers of Jordan and Kuwait discussed the escalating situation in the Middle East following Israel’s attack on Iran, according to official statements.

Oil prices surged nearly 7% on Friday to multi-month highs after Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliation and fueling concerns over potential disruptions to Middle East oil supplies.

Brent crude futures rose $4.57, or about 6.6%, to $73.93 a barrel after touching an intraday high of $78.50 — the highest level since January 27.

Qatar's Prime Minister said on Friday that Doha will work with international and regional partners to urgently stop what it described as aggression against Iran, according to a government statement.

The Prime Minister made the remarks during a phone call with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in which the two discussed Israel's attacks on Iranian territory.

"Israel's attacks will certainly not go unanswered, and the gates of hell will soon be opened upon them," new IRGC chief-commander Mohammad Pakpour said.

"Israel will face a painful fate," he added.

A United Nations-backed conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to advance a roadmap toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been postponed following Israel's military strikes on Iran, Reuters reported on Friday.

A Western diplomatic source in Riyadh said the decision was partly due to the escalating conflict. "The Saudi-French conference is being postponed, in part because of the attacks on Iran," the source said.

A second source familiar said some delegations from the Middle East would not or could not come due to developments.