ISTANBUL

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said late Monday that several countries including China, Russia and France have contacted Tehran regarding a possible ceasefire.

“Our first condition for a ceasefire is that the aggression must not be repeated,” Gharibabadi said, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

Regional escalation has intensified since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.