Nicosia, Cyprus. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday concerning the current crisis in the Persian Gulf. Kombos said diplomacy remained necessary for sustained de-escalation.
Regional developments
In a post on X, Kombos said the discussion focused on regional developments.
“Held a telephone discussion with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with a focus on regional developments. Diplomacy remains imperative for sustained de-escalation,” he wrote.
According to The Times of Israel and Iran’s state-run Irna news agency, Araghchi stressed during the call the importance of preventing foreign military bases in Cyprus from being used against Iran.
British bases in Cyprus
Cyprus hosts two British sovereign military bases, including RAF Akrotiri, which was struck by a drone in early March, days after Israel and the United States initiated strikes on Iran.
Britain agreed early in the war to a US request to use British bases for “defensive strikes” against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers. Britain later clarified that RAF Akrotiri would not be involved in its defensive agreement with the United States on the use of UK bases.
Asked by the Cyprus News Agency to comment on reports that Araghchi had urged Cyprus on the matter, a diplomatic source in Nicosia neither confirmed nor denied them.
The source said the foreign ministers of Cyprus and Iran communicate “quite frequently” and that Cyprus conveys its position on respect for international law during all such contacts. The source also said Britain’s public position on the use of its bases had not changed.
Call with Bulgaria
During a separate telephone call with Bulgaria’s foreign minister on Thursday, Araghchi urged Sofia not to approve a US request to station military aircraft at the Bezmer air base in support of US military operations.
