Iran’s foreign ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday denied that his country had asked Cyprus to convey a message to Israel.

Baghaei was quoted by news agency Reuters as having said that Iran “did not send any message to Israel via a third country”.

His comment came after President Nikos Christodoulides had said earlier in the day that Iran “has asked us to convey a message to Israel”, and that “we will do so”, amid an escalating conflict between the two countries.

“The telephone communications will continue. Let me remind you that we were asked by Iran to convey some messages to Israel, so, today, I will speak with [Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu]. That was scheduled for last night, but due to the chaotic situation, it could not happen,” he said.

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He later added: “We have been asked to convey a message. We will do so. This is why the telephone conversation with [Netanyahu] will take place.”

Later in the day, he had held a telephone call with Netanyahu, while also holding calls with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the United Arab Emirates’ President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

During those telephone calls, the presidential palace said, Christodoulides spoke of an “immediate need for de-escalation” and “underlined the importance of a return to diplomacy”.

Going forward, the presidential palace said that Cyprus’ “close diplomatic relations .. with all states in the region, as well as its role as a member state of the European Union” will be “utilised to the fullest extent possible to contribute actively and responsibly towards efforts for de-escalation and for a peaceful resolution to the crises in the region”.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi called on Cyprus to take “active steps” to influence European countries “to help halt the Zionist regime’s crimes” during a telephone call with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos on Friday.