ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkey hosted talks in Istanbul on Friday with Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, with participants warning that another attack on Iran would “expand the war across the region,” state media reported.

The gathering marked the seventh meeting of foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, known as the R4 (Regional Four), a bloc established earlier this year amid regional unrest to address instability.

The talks also brought together the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and France, collectively known as the E3, with Italy also participating.

“We addressed the interconnected challenges and conflicts spanning the Middle East and Europe,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a post on X.

In remarks carried by state media, Fidan said the participants agreed that “another attack on Iran would expand the war across the region.”

The US and Israel are reportedly preparing for possible renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections. The plans have reportedly advanced beyond general contingency planning, but President Donald Trump has not publicly approved another joint attack. The White House said Thursday the US will not strike Iran before the elections.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between the US and Iran in June temporarily halted hostilities. However, the two sides have since resumed sporadic military confrontations, targeting each other’s positions. Tensions have been particularly pronounced in the Strait of Hormuz, where both sides maintain maritime blockades.

Before the meeting, Turkish state media, citing informed sources, reported that Fidan was expected to “stress the need to prevent existing disputes from fueling one another, conflicts from spreading to new areas and regional tensions from escalating into broader instability.”

The report added that the talks were set to center “the Palestinian question, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, developments related to Yemen and efforts to find a solution to the Ukraine war.”

Since the war started in late February, Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that carries around 20 percent of the world’s oil, sharply driving up global oil prices.