Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to take urgent steps to de-escalate the worsening tensions between the two countries, calling for the resumption of direct communications between the two sides "to avoid any miscalculation."

According to Qatar News Agency, State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement today that Secretary Rubio had two phone calls with the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, and also spoke for the first time since the outbreak of the crisis with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff General Asim Munir.

Bruce explained that, during these calls, the US Secretary stressed "the need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication," noting that Rubio also proposed "US support in facilitating productive discussions to avert future disputes."

The US State Department has repeatedly emphasized the need for calm and restraint since the outbreak of the conflict, warning that continued escalation could have dire consequences for regional stability.

The border areas between the two countries are witnessing a military escalation, including missile strikes, artillery shelling, and drone attacks, following an attack in late April in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people in the tourist city of Pahalgam. Islamabad strongly denies any connection to the attack, while international calls for calm are growing to prevent the situation from sliding into an open confrontation between the two nuclear powers.