Iranian, Saudi FMs hold phone talks over bilateral ties, regional developments

Tehran, April 28 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held a phone conversation on Monday over bilateral relations and the latest developments in the West Asia region.

Araghchi highlighted the "escalating instability" caused by Israel's "ongoing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as its repeated aggressions against Lebanon," and urged "global mobilization" to stop Israel's "ongoing genocide," according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on social media platform X.

Araghchi also briefed his Saudi counterpart on the latest progress in the indirect Iran-US talks, read the statement.

Faisal conveyed "Saudi Arabia's condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to the Iranian government and people" concerning the deadly port explosion in southern Iran, and "prayed for the swift recovery of the injured," read the statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a statement published Monday by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on X confirmed that the two sides discussed bilateral ties, the indirect Iran-US talks, and issues of common interest during the phone conversation.

Tehran also said on Monday that the country has foiled a large-scale cyberattack against its infrastructure.

"Yesterday, one of the extensive and complicated cyberattacks against the country's infrastructure was identified and preventive measures were implemented," Iranian Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Technology Behzad Akbari wrote on the social media platform X, without elaborating on the type and origin of the cyberattack.

Over the past few years, a number of cyberattacks targeted Iran. In October 2021, a cyberattack disrupted the fueling systems at some Iranian gas stations. In November 2022, Iran said it had thwarted a cyberattack on its Mahan Airlines.

In January 2023, Iran's Infrastructure Communication Company said it had defeated a "massive cyberattack" on the Central Bank of Iran. In December 2023, supply services at a majority of fuel stations across Iran were interrupted, which Israeli media said the Israel-linked hacker group dubbed "Gonjeshke Darande" or "Predatory Sparrow" launched the attack.

--IANS

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