Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned of the possibility of an ever-expanding war in the West Asia region, describing as a “powder keg” the situation in the strategic area following Israel’s heightened escalation in the besieged Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

Araghchi made the remarks after discussing various regional and bilateral issues with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the meeting of the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform in Istanbul on Saturday.

“We talked about regional issues, especially the continuation of the crimes of the Zionist regime and the approach of this regime to expand the war in the region, which is not accepted by any side in this region. Both of our countries believe that the genocide in Gaza and the crimes in Lebanon must stop immediately, and all Islamic countries must use all their capacities to stop Israel,” the top Iranian diplomat said.

“The region has turned into a powder keg, which can put the world in grave danger, and the possibility of war is still high and no one wants this except the Zionist regime, but we are ready for any scenario,” he added.

Araghchi censured Israel as the “most important source of insecurity” across the globe and said the regime did not scruple to breach international law.

“The Zionist regime is the most important source of insecurity in the world, and the international mechanisms have not been able to hinder these crimes, and the US support has made the leaders of the Zionist regime and Netanyahu bolder,” he said.

“This regime has no limits in violating international regulations, and we underpin the necessity of stopping the war and delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Araghchi underlined that Iran and Turkey have “common goals, interests and threats,” and both countries are determined to bolster bilateral relations and regional cooperation.

The Iranian foreign minister pointed to his back-to-back trips to the regional countries over the past week and said the exchanges bespeak of a “complete solidarity” between the countries of the region and the people and cause of Palestine.

“There is outright rebuke of the crimes of the Zionist regime among them, and they believe that this regime should be condemned and forced to stop its crimes in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said.

Stressing that the regional countries are worried about rising tensions and the expansion of war, Araghchi said Iran seeks no escalation and is after a ceasefire but is ready for any situation.

“This is a regional decision and all the countries that are geographically located between us and the Zionist regime said that they will not allow their soil to be used against Iran,” he noted.

Fidan, for his part, touched on the Israeli regime’s brutal onslaught on Gaza and Lebanon, saying Tel Aviv is trying to drag Tehran into the war and threatens to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“The Zionist regime must end its threatening discourse because we are in a tense region today,” the Turkish foreign minister said.

“We do not want war and we must exercise restraint. A truce should be declared in Gaza and Israel must abandon any threats and aggression.”

At the head of a delegation, Araghchi arrived in Istanbul as the next leg of his regional tour and also attended the 3+3 mechanism meeting. Before arriving in Istanbul, Araghchi had traveled to Jordan and Egypt for consultations with senior officials regarding the latest regional developments, particularly the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Araghchi’s regional tour, aimed at stopping the Israeli regime’s crimes in Lebanon and Gaza, also took him to Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman.

Istanbul marks the ninth stop in his recent regional diplomatic tour amid the escalating tensions.