Iran FM heads to Turkey in last-ditch effort to avoid US escalation
Ankara is stepping up efforts to ease Iran-US tensions, as Turkey's top diplomat meets with a US envoy ahead of the Iranian foreign minister's Friday visit to Turkey.
ANKARA — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head to Turkey on Friday, as Ankara intensifies diplomatic efforts to prevent possible US military strikes on Iran that could further destabilize the region.
Details: Araghchi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan are expected to discuss the standoff with the United States, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told journalists on Thursday.
The source said Fidan would stress that Turkey is closely monitoring developments in neighboring Iran and considers the country’s security, peace and stability to be of “great importance” to Ankara.
Fidan is also expected to reiterate Turkey’s opposition to any military attack on Iran, warning that such a move would “create risks on a global scale,” according to the source
“It’s wrong to start the war again,” Fidan told Al Jazeera on Wednesday. “My advice to our American friends, close the files one by one with Iran: Start with the nuclear, close it, then the others.” Turkey is prepared to play a facilitating role if needed, the source said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, also confirmed Araghchi’s visit. “Iran is determined to continuously strengthen relations with its neighbors based on the policy of good neighborliness and common interests,” he wrote on X.
Why it matters: Ankara, which has emerged as one of the more vocal regional opponents of potential US strikes on Iran, is stepping up diplomatic engagement as US President Donald Trump issues increasingly pointed warnings toward Tehran.
Earlier Thursday, Fidan and US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack discussed efforts to ease US-Iran tensions, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also proposed a diplomatic initiative aimed at easing the standoff. During separate phone calls with Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this week, Erdogan offered to host a trilateral teleconference between the leaders, Middle East Eye reported, citing a Turkish official.
Trump expressed interest in the idea, according to the report, while Pezeshkian has yet to publicly respond.
Know more: Turkey’s opposition to military action against Iran is driven in part by concerns over regional instability and the risk of a new refugee influx. Turkey shares a roughly 535-kilometer (332-mile) border with Iran and already hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including more than 2 million registered Syrians. The number of unregistered migrants is believed to be higher.
Turkish officials have repeatedly warned that further conflict in the region could exacerbate migration pressures and undermine security along Turkey’s eastern border.
A senior Turkish Defense Ministry official underscored Ankara’s position during a briefing in the capital on Thursday.
“We do not want new tensions or conflicts to emerge in our region,” the official said. “We continue our efforts to end all conflicts and to ensure peace and stability prevail in our region."
The official added that Ankara was also taking all necessary measures in a bid to contain the fallout from a potential US strike on Iran.
