Fidan said regional and international actors have been consulting closely and are frequently seeking Türkiye’s assessment on how to proceed.
“Our position is clear,” he said. “We must make every effort to prevent further deterioration of the region as a result of this war.”
He emphasized the need to send a clear message to Washington. “At this point, the only entity that can stop Israel is the United States,” Fidan said, adding, “Gulf countries, Turkiye and European countries will be most directly affected by further escalation.”
According to Fidan, these countries are engaged in intensive consultations and Turkiye is at the center of those diplomatic exchanges. “There is an ongoing exchange of views between these countries and we are at the center of these discussions,” he said, emphasizing Ankara’s efforts to coordinate a collective approach to contain the conflict.
‘Israel exerted enormous pressure’
For the deal to collapse, Fidan said the United States should have formally concluded the deal rather than being overwhelmed by military action. He also pointed to the time pressure on Washington and the “tremendous pressure” on Israel due to the military deployment.
“I believe that if Iran had read better the decision pressures facing President Trump and put something on the table earlier, the Israeli pressure would not have been as effective,” he said.
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Intensive diplomacy to prevent war
The Foreign Minister said that war was imminent and also disclosed the details of the intensive diplomacy conducted in January.
He described the Jan. 27 phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump as “historic,” which came just moments before the U.S. was about to make a decision on military action.
Three days later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met in Istanbul, where Turkiye proposed a new framework for talks. According to Fidan, the United States has sought to pursue four key issues simultaneously in negotiations with Iran. Ankara proposed dividing the agenda into two issues discussed directly by the United States and Iran and two issues discussed with regional countries.
He said the United States had responded positively to the proposal and signaled its readiness to proceed. However, Iran returned to its previous position after internal consultation.
Fidan noted that the diplomatic push delayed the potential outbreak of war by several weeks. Talks with Oman continued in Geneva in late February, but the dispute began on February 28.
On Saturday, Israel and the United States launched airstrikes that killed 786 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and 786 schoolgirls.
Tehran retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting U.S.-linked Gulf states, resulting in multiple deaths. Six American soldiers were killed and many were injured.
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