South-east Asia’s top diplomats will express alarm over renewed hostilities in the Middle East when they gather in the Philippine capital on Tuesday for talks to be joined by western and Asian counterparts, including from the US, China, Russia and the EU, according to The Guardian.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will first meet among themselves in Manila on Tuesday to discuss — among other main concerns — the US-Iran hostilities that have triggered fears of a return to a full-blown war.

They plan to issue a joint statement expressing alarm over the developments and urge both sides to resume talks, two south-east Asian diplomats told the Associated Press.