ISTANBUL 

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani renewed his call on Thursday for an immediate halt to the current escalation between the US and Iran and for intensified international efforts to de-escalate tensions through diplomatic means.

The appeal came in a phone call the emir received from French President Emmanuel Macron.

A statement by the Emiri Diwan said Tamim and Macron discussed regional developments following an Iranian attack on the Ras Laffan gas plant in northeastern Qatar and its consequences on regional security and stability and energy supplies.

The emir warned that the continued attacks on vital facilities “constitute a direct threat to regional and international stability.”

He reiterated his call for an immediate halt to escalation and for greater international efforts to contain tensions and work through diplomatic channels to prevent the crisis from expanding.

Macron, for his part, stressed the importance of ending military escalation targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water facilities, according to the statement.

He emphasized the need “to protect civilians and their basic needs and safeguard global energy supplies from the repercussions of military escalation,” the statement said.

QatarEnergy reported fires and damage early Thursday from a new missile attack on its gas infrastructure in Qatar.

The attack came a day after Iran launched a missile attack on the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar’s main site for production of liquefied natural gas.

Qatar has denounced the attack as a “serious escalation, a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and a direct threat to its national security and regional stability.”

Regional escalation continued to flare since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

*Writing By Khaled Badr