Ongoing escalation could plunge Middle East into 'total chaos': Egypt FM to Iraqi counterpart

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein

The talks take place amid intensifying tensions across the Middle East, with Cairo stepping up calls for diplomatic solutions to contain the crisis and avert broader security and humanitarian consequences.

During the call, FM Abdelatty stressed the urgent need to halt the expansion of military operations and prioritize a political track, cautioning that continued escalation risks widening the conflict beyond control.

The call also addressed the direct impact of the escalation on Iraq, with both sides underscoring the importance of preserving Iraq's stability, unity, and territorial integrity.

Egypt reaffirmed its support for the Iraqi government's efforts to assert sovereignty and safeguard national resources.

The two ministers also discussed coordination ahead of the upcoming Arab League foreign ministers' meeting, scheduled to be held virtually on 29 March to discuss the developing regional situation.

Abdelatty's call comes as part of an intensified Egyptian diplomatic effort led by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who has increased high-level regional engagement to contain escalating tensions.

President El-Sisi has reaffirmed Egypt's "unwavering" support for Gulf security during a brief tour of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the third and fourth stops of a regional tour that began with visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as tensions escalate amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks on Arab neighbours.

During the tour, El-Sisi met with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama before holding talks in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, focusing on containing regional escalation and strengthening collective Arab security.

The visits followed a series of presidential phone calls with Gulf and Arab leaders, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and Iraq, in which El-Sisi stressed that Gulf security is inseparable from Egypt's national security and called for closer Arab coordination.

Egypt has consistently framed its recent diplomatic efforts within the concept of collective Arab security, a longstanding principle based on political, military, and strategic cooperation among Arab states to protect regional stability and sovereignty.

Cairo has repeatedly called for unified Arab positions, stronger coordination through institutions such as the Arab League, and more effective joint mechanisms to deter external attacks, contain escalation, and prevent further instability across the region.