Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi called on Cyprus to take what he described as active steps to influence European countries “to help halt the Zionist regime’s crimes” during a telephone call with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The call had been held on Friday following a volley of Israeli strikes on Tehran and other areas of Iran, including nuclear infrastructure, and before Iran retaliated on Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday morning with strikes on Tel Aviv and other areas of Israel.

Araghchi, Iran’s foreign ministry said, “expressed deep outrage at the crimes and attacks by the Zionist regime against Iran’s nuclear facilities as well as the killing of innocent civilians and university elites”.

“He said the Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely give a firm response to such aggression,” it added, saying that the country will “act … with full determination to defend its sovereignty, people, [and] national security”.

It added that Araghchi had promised a decisive response to “the cowardly and unlawful aggression of the Zionist regime”.

“Araghchi added that Iran will also pursue accountability for these crimes and violations of international law and norms through relevant international institutions,” it said.

The telephone call with Araghchi was one of 11 such calls Kombos held on Friday.

He also spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, as well as officials from Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Palestine, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said that Araghchi had held telephone calls with counterparts from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Australia, India, and Pakistan.