European Commission chief calls for dialogue in Middle East

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, called on Wednesday for dialogue instead of war in the Middle East, saying that "the use of weapons must stop now."

Von der Leyen, head of the European Union (EU)'s executive arm, also said that "we are called upon to do everything possible to rekindle talks," adding that "there cannot be enough of that."

"We have established and time-tested relations with many actors in the region and beyond to de-escalate the situation," she added.

She also expressed condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the crash of the Ukrainian aircraft in Iran on Wednesday, saying that "at this moment it is for aviation security experts to investigate the cause of the crash, providing answers to this horrible tragedy."

Tensions are high in the Gulf region between Washington and Tehran. The United States maintained an extreme pressure campaign against Iran and recently killed a top Iranian general while he was in Iraq. Tehran fired missiles back at U.S. military bases in Iraq in retaliation.