Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakhchi held telephone conversations with 12 regional and international counterparts over the past 48 hours, discussing the consequences of the "tension-provoking steps" by Washington and the Israeli presence in the region, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Saturday. Citing an Instagram post by Argachi, IRNA said the calls involved the foreign ministers of Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Cyprus, Turkey, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Iraq and Pakistan. Argachi said that he presented Iran's principled positions during the discussions, emphasizing the importance of respecting national sovereignty and putting an end to all forms of aggression and threats. Argachi also emphasized the need to prevent external interference that could undermine regional stability, saying that regional countries bear the responsibility of containing insecurity and maintaining their security. He reaffirmed Iran's legitimate right to defend its sovereignty and national security, while emphasizing that regional security arrangements should be based on cooperation between the countries concerned, without the involvement of external forces.