Iran uses Cyprus to send messages to Israel

President Nikos Christodoulides confirmed on Sunday that Iran has asked Cyprus to relay “some messages” to Israel, as tensions continue to rise sharply in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters, Christodoulides did not specify the content or sender of the messages, but said communication was facilitated following a Friday night call between the Cypriot and Iranian foreign ministers. The Cypriot government has not disclosed further details on the nature of the messages.

The president said he had spoken directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Greece, in efforts to promote regional stability and de-escalation.

Cyprus, an EU member state located just 300 kilometres from the Middle East, has observed regional fallout firsthand. Residents reported seeing Iranian projectiles in the skies over Cyprus during recent Iranian strikes on Israel.

Christodoulides expressed dissatisfaction with the European Union’s response to the rapidly evolving crisis. “It is not possible for the EU to claim a geopolitical role, to see all these developments and for there not to be at the very least a convening of the Council of Foreign Ministers,” he said, calling for an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

Cyprus has also offered to facilitate the evacuation of foreign nationals from affected areas and has urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could lead to further escalation.

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