VIENNA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Monday called for dialogue and de-escalation from all sides given the growing tensions in the Middle East.

"There is great concern in Austria about the worsening of events in the Middle East. All sides urgently need to take steps to de-escalate," said the minister in a statement sent to the Austrian Press Agency (APA) on Monday.

"It will not be possible to use violence to create sustainable security and stability in the region. Therefore, a clear willingness to engage in dialogue is needed from all sides," he added.

The minister also stressed that Austria supports Josep Borrell, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security, in his efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, and Vienna is available as a place for dialogue at any time.

Regarding Tehran's announcement that it would ignore all the restrictions in terms of the numbers or type of centrifuges that can be operated or the level of enrichment that it can pursue under the 2015 nuclear deal, the statement said that from an Austrian perspective, the question of the continued validity of the deal should be seen separately from the current tensions.

"If Iran implemented its announcement to operate uranium enrichment without restrictions, this would contradict the Vienna nuclear deal and should be clearly condemned. We therefore appeal to Iran not to implement this announcement and to return to the full implementation of the agreement," said Schallenberg.