German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told her Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, that Iran needed to help prevent a further escalation of the situation in the Middle East.

"Further escalation must be prevented at all costs, and Iran must also contribute to this," Baerbock told the acting Iranian foreign minister in a phone call, according to a German foreign ministry post on X on Friday.

(Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by Matthias Williams)