ISTANBUL

Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler held a phone call on Tuesday with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to an official statement.

“During the call, the parties exchanged views on bilateral and regional defense and security issues,” the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The phone call came amid regional tensions due to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The tensions escalated since Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz around March 1. The strategic waterway normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments daily and roughly 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade.