ROME: Italy’s foreign affairs minister said he spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart on Friday, to urge restraint amid fears of a strike on Israel from Tehran.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement that he had appealed to Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “for moderation”.

“We cannot risk escalation at such an extremely volatile stage. All regional actors must show responsibility,” Tajani said.

Tajani’s appeal came amid fears that Tehran will retaliate after an Israeli strike earlier this month on Iran’s consulate building in Syria killed seven members of its elite Revolutionary Guards.

Israeli strike on Damascus kills four Iranian Revolutionary Guards

Israel has stepped up strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria since the Gaza war began.

The war began with Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack against Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,634 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry

The US White House said on Friday that the threat from Iran remained “real”.

Italy, which holds the rotating G7 presidency, is set to host a meeting of foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri next week.

Tajani also called on Amir-Abdollahian “to exert a moderating influence on Iran’s allies in the region,” the statement said.