A foreign ministry statement said Abdelatty held calls with Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs; Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, Oman’s Foreign Minister; Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister; and Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy for the Middle East.
According to the ministry, the discussions focused on fast-moving developments across the region, with all sides stressing the need to reduce escalation, contain tensions, and achieve calm to prevent the region from sliding into instability and chaos.
The talks highlighted the importance of creating conditions conducive to diplomatic solutions and political settlements that reinforce regional security and stability.
The contacts also reviewed developments in the Gaza Strip, including preparations for moving to the second phase of the plan announced by US President Donald Trump.
Officials underscored the need to meet the requirements of this phase, including the launch of the Palestinian technocrats committee following the announcement of its formation, the deployment of an international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire, and steps toward Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The discussions further addressed the need to pave the way for early recovery and reconstruction in the Strip, while maintaining close coordination and consultation among all parties in the coming period to support security and stability in Gaza and the wider region.
Participants expressed appreciation for Egypt’s central role and its intensive efforts to support de-escalation tracks, reduce tensions, and promote security and stability across the Middle East.
The intensive round of calls held by Abdelatty comes at a critical juncture marked by heightened uncertainty surrounding Iran and the wider region, where sharp rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, escalating military signalling, and deepening domestic unrest inside Iran.
Iran briefly closed its airspace to commercial flights early Thursday without providing an official explanation, underscoring heightened tensions with the United States amid Washington’s threats of possible action over Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide cost-of-living protests.
The closure, which lasted for more than four hours, disrupted traffic along a key east–west aviation corridor, forcing international carriers to divert around Iranian airspace before flights gradually resumed later in the morning.
Iran has previously taken similar measures during periods of open confrontation, including the 12-day war with Israel in June and earlier exchanges of fire linked to Israel’s war on Gaza.
While there were no immediate indications of active hostilities this time, the move sent ripples through global aviation, given Iran’s strategic location on major international flight routes.
At a White House briefing on Wednesday, Trump said US officials had been told that the Iranian government had ceased killing protesters and cancelled planned executions, though he did not cite specific intelligence sources and left open the possibility of further action if the situation deteriorates.
He said the US would “watch what the process is” and did not rule out possible US military action if conditions change.
Trump’s comments came after days of increasingly forceful rhetoric. In recent public messages, he urged Iranians to “keep protesting” against the Iranian government and declared “help is on its way,” without detailing whether that support would be diplomatic, economic, intelligence-based, or military.
Trump also suspended planned diplomatic meetings with Tehran until the violence stopped and warned of consequences if executions resumed.
Iran responded sharply to US statements with Araghchi publicly denying any plan to carry out hangings of protest detainees. He told international media there was no execution scheduled “today or tomorrow.”
Tehran has also accused Washington and its allies of fomenting unrest and interfering in its domestic affairs.
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