BRUSSELS: European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Sunday, an EU official told Reuters.

Kallas also held separate calls with counterparts from Turkey, Qatar and South Korea "on the war in the Middle East, attacks on energy infrastructure, and the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz," the official said.

"These engagements were part of the EU’s ongoing efforts to explore diplomatic avenues forward," the official said, adding that "fresh threats to attack critical civilian infrastructure risk impacting millions of people across the Middle East and beyond".

Kallas last spoke to Araqchi on Wednesday, when she said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz was a priority for Europe, according to an EU official.