ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the situation in the Middle East and efforts to end the ongoing Iran war, Turkish diplomatic sources said Monday.

Fidan and Guterres talked over the phone, according to sources.

The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched an air offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

* Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul.