In a telephone conversation with Egypt’s interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy on Sunday, Zarif called for recourse to peaceful and democratic means to prevent the killing of people and find a political solution to end tensions in Egypt.

On August 16, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Egypt in response to a call by the Muslim Brotherhood for nationwide protests on the “Friday of Rage” against the army and its hand-picked government.

Over 170 people, most of them supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, have been killed since Friday in nationwide rallies across the country.

Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since July 3, when the army toppled Morsi, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament. It also appointed the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmoud Mansour, as the new interim president.

Zarif also held a separate telephone conversation with Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah on Sunday. They discussed Tehran-Doha relations and the latest developments in the region.

SHI/SHI