Canadian PM and Qatari Emir call for de-escalation and condemn attacks on civilians as regional war intensifies.

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani discussed urgent diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider Middle East war.

In a Monday call, the leaders “underscored the importance of intensifying diplomatic engagement to avoid a wider conflict with global consequences,” Carney’s office stated.

They jointly condemned recent Iranian missile and drone attacks on Qatar.

Carney expressed Canada’s solidarity with Qatar following these strikes.

The conversation occurred amid escalating regional hostilities following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 28.

Iran responded with strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases.

“The leaders called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Carney’s office said.

They warned such attacks destabilise the region and worsen the global economic and energy situation.

The leaders also discussed specific efforts to de-escalate the Iran war.

The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

This total includes 175 schoolgirls and staff killed in a missile strike on a primary school in southern Iran.

The Iranian army says over 100 were killed when a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast last week.

Israeli tallies report eleven civilian deaths in Israel.

The U.S. military has confirmed seven of its service members have been killed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered shifting objectives and timelines for the ongoing war.

 The Sun Malaysia