Mexican president calls for peace amid Iran-Israel showdown   

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged the United Nations to take more measures to defuse tensions in the Middle East.

At his daily press conference, Mr Lopez-Obrador also urged Israel to avoid responding to the recent retaliatory attack launched by Iran on its territory.“Let things remain as they are; if not, it would escalate the conflict,” the president said at the National Palace in Mexico City.

Mr Lopez-Obrador reiterated that Mexico’s position is not to condemn any of the parties in a conflict but to seek dialogue to end the war.“The overriding goal should be to seek a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,’’ he said.Mr Lopez-Obrador recalled that a week ago, he published a message on social media, warning that war does not benefit anyone and that politics was invented precisely to avoid violent conflicts, among othersHe also reiterated his call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.