CAIRO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stressed the need to safeguard navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The United States launched airstrikes on Iranian military sites on Friday after accusing Iran of attacking a commercial vessel transiting the strait on Thursday.

During a phone discussion on the latest regional developments, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of the peace negotiations following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, the statement said.

The two ministers called for the continuation of Iran-U.S. negotiations to ease tensions and promote regional security and stability.

They also urged all parties to abide by international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to ensure regional security and stability and safeguard the interests of all countries.

In another phone call, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdelatty discussed the Gulf states' security concerns. ■