To avert further escalation, Macron discusses Middle East tensions with UAE and Iraq's Salih

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday discussed the latest tensions in the Middle East with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Iraq President Barham Salih.

A statement from Macron's office added that Macron and Salih would remain in close contact to try to avert a further escalation in tensions in Iraq and the broader region.

Iran's military chief Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis were killed in a US air strike that has raised the spectre of wider conflict in the Middle East.