ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity, conducting back-to-back phone calls as tension rose in the region after joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Fidan held separate phone calls with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Spain, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Indonesia following the strikes on Iran.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan held phone calls with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono.

During the talks, the top diplomats discussed the latest developments in the region, as well as possible steps to be taken to end the attacks.

Fidan also discussed the regional escalation in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

The two officials reviewed ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop the escalation and resolve conflicts in the region.

Israel and the US launched a joint military operation against Iran early Saturday, citing alleged threats posed by the "Iranian regime."

The strikes came after the latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks concluded in Geneva on Thursday, where both sides had described the atmosphere as serious and constructive under Omani mediation.

Last June, the US had struck three Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.

* Writing by Berk Kutay Gokmen and Seda Sevencan in Istanbul