US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Mongolia's Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg, unseen, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken says “all parties” in the Middle East must avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran that Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.
Speaking in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Thursday, Blinken appealed for countries to “make the right choices in the days ahead” and said that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was the only way to begin to break the current cycle of violence and suffering.
Blinken did not mention Israel, Iran or Hamas by name in his comments.
“Right now, the path that the region is on is toward more conflict, more violence, more suffering, more insecurity and it is crucial that we break the cycle and that starts with the ceasefire that we’ve been working on, which I believe is not only achievable, it has to be achieved,” he said.
He noted that even while in Asia he has been on the phone with regional leaders, including the prime minister of Qatar and the foreign minister of Jordan.
“We’re all focused on making sure we can get the cease-fire over the finish line and building on it for everyone’s sake, for the future,” he said.
