Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty warned on Sunday, April 5, that rising tensions in the Middle East could lead to a major regional crisis, as Egypt intensifies diplomatic efforts to calm the situation. Under the direction of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Abdel-Aty made a series of phone calls with regional and international officials. These include US envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi, in addition to ministers from several Arab and regional countries. In these calls, Abdel Aty said that the current escalation could lead to an “unprecedented regional explosion” with serious economic and political consequences. His statements come at a time when Egypt is working to ease tensions through talks with key countries. The talks come at a sensitive time, with US President Donald Trump’s April 6 deadline for Iran to respond to a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US warned of strong action if Iran refused and that “all hell will break loose”, while Tehran said only “non-hostile ships” could pass through the waterway. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the discussions focused…
