Russia and Saudi Arabia have called for a cessation of hostilities in the Middle East

Russia and Saudi Arabia advocate an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Middle East. A corresponding statement was published on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on March 2 following a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart Faisal Bin Farham.

"The ministers stressed that Russia and the KSA stand for the immediate cessation of any hostilities and for taking measures as a matter of priority to prevent attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure of both Iran and its neighbors," the publication says.

It is noted that the parties also pointed out the risks of involving Arab states in the conflict over Iran. In addition, the ministers agreed to maintain constant contact in order to resolve the situation in the Middle East.

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On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, discussed the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East as a result of the American-Israeli aggression. The Russian leader stressed the need to resolve the situation through diplomacy, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, in turn, noted that Russia can play a positive role in resolving the conflict in the Middle East.

The Washington Post reported that there are growing fears in the Pentagon and the administration of US President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran will spiral out of control and drag on for weeks. The situation may worsen if Tehran continues its attacks with the same intensity. Washington also fears that the conflict is becoming uncontrollable.

The Iranian state Television and Radio company IRIB, in turn, reported that the Iranian Armed Forces (AF) have hit 60 strategic targets and 500 military installations of the United States and Israel since the start of the "True Promise 4" retaliatory operation. It was noted that the 11th wave of the operation involved naval and aerospace units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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