Top US diplomat says path forward involves security for Israel, a Palestinian state and marginalizing Iran

There is a clear and "attractive" path toward peace in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as he wrapped up his latest multi-nation visit to the region, which came amid fears the Israel-Hamas fighting could spark a wider regional conflict.

The path includes assured security for Israel, isolating and marginalizing Iran, and the establishment of a Palestinian state, he said, adding that these things are tied together.

It will be up to the governments in the region to commit to such a path, Blinken said.

"All of which, I believe countries are prepared to do. And it's also the best way to address the most fundamental security concern that Israel and many others have, which are the actions that Iran and its proxies have taken," he told reporters in Cairo before his flight back to the United States.

The top US diplomat also insisted that his visit to the region resulted in concrete steps toward ending the conflict in Gaza. "First, an agreement by Israel to have the United Nations send an assessment team to the north of Gaza to look at the conditions that would be necessary to start to get people moving back to the north," he said. "Second, we have a commitment from the Palestinian Authority to issue meaningful reform."