Speaking after the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said none of the participating countries approved of another military intervention or attack on Iran, warning that such a move would only exacerbate tensions and further expand the conflict. He said diplomacy and dialogue were the only way to end the war.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters that a further escalation between Iran and the US "would create nothing but losers and would undoubtedly have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices." He said the group of eight would "call on both sides to exercise the utmost restraint, because we cannot afford another escalation in the region."
Italy's Antonio Tajani emphasised that the aim was "de-escalation to guarantee freedom of navigation", adding: "I do not believe the problem can be solved from a purely military standpoint. We must promote dialogue."
The meeting, which brought together the E3 (UK, France, Germany) and the R4 group (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt), along with Italy, also discussed Israel's war on Gaza, escalating fighting in Yemen and prospects for ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu reported from Istanbul that the summit was a "first-of-its-kind" attempt to discuss the parameters of regional conflicts and possible solutions, noting that while participating countries have different national interests, the Turkish foreign minister underlined that events in the Gulf are affecting other parts of the world.
Turkey is seeking to bolster its regional role, including through the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement launched in August with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Fidan described the pact as "informal and flexible", saying it focuses on shared issues. Egypt has not yet decided whether to join, though President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi recently said Egypt would "carry out any measure to protect" Saudi Arabia.