Israel, Iran trade fire as conflict rages into 9th day; diplomatic efforts urged to promote talks.

Israel, Iran trade fire as conflict rages into 9th day; diplomatic efforts urged to promote talks.

The exchange of fire between Israel and Iran has entered its ninth day, with both sides reportedly launching new waves of attacks against each other. 

Al Jazeera reported on Saturday morning that Israel's air force had "begun a wave of strikes against missile storage and launch infrastructure in central Iran," citing Israel's military statement. 

Earlier on Saturday, Israel's military released two separate statements. The first claimed that several rockets were launched from Iranian territory, with initial estimates putting the number at around 10 projectiles heading toward Israel. 

The second statement, issued shortly after, said that sirens were sounding in several parts of the country but primarily centered on the central part of Israel and in Tel Aviv, where explosions were heard in the skies.

In a statement released on Friday evening, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched the 17th wave of attacks under Operation True Promise 3, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. 

"The attacks must stop, and negotiations must begin to reach a political solution on Iran's nuclear program," said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who chaired Arab League foreign ministers' emergency meeting on Friday in Istanbul, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Safadi made the remarks when addressing reporters after a closed-door meeting, stressing that the international community must act to prevent a full-scale war, warning that global peace and security were at risk.

He warned that the region stood on the edge of a deep abyss and faced a perilous moment.

Both Iran and Israel's UN ambassadors stated their countries will continue to fight during a tense United Nations Security Council meeting, CNN reported Friday.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN,) called for international efforts to promote talks to ease Israel-Iran tensions during a meeting at UN headquarters in New York, on Friday, Xinhua reported. If the conflict escalates further, not only will both sides suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also be severely affected, he warned." The parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating and to avoid any spillover of the fighting," he said. 

Fu said that China welcomes the talks in Geneva between the Iranian foreign minister and his counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, as well as the EU foreign and security policy chief. The international community, especially major powers with influence over the parties, should work to de-escalate the situation, Fu said, according to Xinhua.

Top diplomats of the UK, Germany, France, and the European Union called for a "negotiated solution to ensure that Iran never obtains or acquires a nuclear weapon," while reiterating their commitment to Israel's security.

A statement from the European delegation after a key meeting with Iranian officials and obtained by CNN, said that the European diplomats "shared their grave concerns with regard to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and reiterated their firm commitment to Israel's security," CNN reported. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also voiced "concerns" about the UK, France and Germany's "inaction" in condemning Israel's attacks when he met with their foreign ministers in Geneva on Friday, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.

Iran's ISNA news agency quoted Araghchi as saying that he also stressed to the ministers that Iran would continue to "exercise its legitimate right of self defense," with the objective of "stopping the aggression and preventing future recurrences."

Araghchi told his counterparts that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and remains under the supervision of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

Iran will be ready to consider diplomacy if the attacks are ceased, Araghchi said, according to ISNA.

US President Donald Trump said it would be difficult for him to request Israel stop its airstrikes in Iran, even as he pursues a diplomatic solution to end the conflict, CNN reported on Friday. He suggested that Israel's military successes have made such a request harder.

The president also dismissed European diplomatic efforts with Iran, saying they hadn't helped end the conflict, according to CNN. "They didn't help," he said. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want — they want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help on this one."

The Trump administration has previously said it will allow up to two weeks for negotiations before deciding whether to launch a strike in Iran. However, the US president noted he is not considering the possibility of US ground troops as he weighs an attack on Iran's nuclear sites.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted by Russia's Tass Agency as saying that the US likely used negotiations as a cover for preparing an attack on the Islamic Republic. He said that in light of recent events, Tehran has little trust in Washington. "What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy," the top Iranian diplomat said.