Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Saturday that there is no serious initiative under way to restart U.S.-Iran negotiations, though he believes Iran could be receptive to “any sensible back-channel diplomacy.”
Fidan made the comments in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press as Ankara tries to avoid becoming more deeply entangled in a widening Middle East conflict. He described conditions as “not very much conducive” to diplomacy, saying Iranian leaders “feel betrayed” because they were attacked again while in active U.S.-Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Fidan, 57, said he believes Turkey has been in contact with Iranian officials and has continued to press for restraint, including urging Iran to halt attacks against Gulf states that host U.S. bases. “I know that we are being provoked and we will be provoked, but this is our objective,” he said. “We want to stay out of this war.”
Turkey has criticized both U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran and Iran’s retaliatory actions against Gulf states. Fidan said Turkish authorities have also been working to stay out of the direct impact of the fighting, including after three missiles believed to have been fired by Iran were intercepted over Turkey by NATO defenses.
Fidan said Turkey has ruled out a military response at this stage, saying NATO’s defenses had been effective and that Ankara’s “primary objective” is to stay out of the conflict. He said Iranian officials had insisted they did not fire at Turkey, but that “the available data shows that the missiles came from Iran,” according to his account.
On Iran’s leadership during the conflict, Fidan said he did not know the severity of the wounds suffered by Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in a strike earlier in the war. He said, however, that “what we know is that he is alive and functioning.”
Fidan said Khamenei was appointed to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 during the war’s opening salvo. He said that the process of selecting a new leader and the medical conditions “created a gap” in Iran’s power structure and that he believes the gap has been filled by the high command of the Revolutionary Guards.
Fidan also described Turkey’s efforts before the conflict escalated. He said Turkey had attempted to mediate between Washington and Tehran before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran about two weeks earlier, triggering the war. He said Turkey had offered to host talks in Istanbul, but that Iran later opted for talks mediated by Oman that focused only on Iran’s nuclear program and did not succeed.
He said Iran refused to discuss its missile program and the proxy armed groups it backs in the region, including Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. Fidan said Turkey had proposed a broader framework in which “the Americans and the Iranians can discuss fully the nuclear issue” while regional countries would come together with Iran to address other issues.
Fidan’s interview also touched on tensions between Turkey and Israel. He dismissed questions that Turkey could be the next target of Israel’s campaign, while saying the war gave Turkey additional incentives to increase its weapons and air-defense production. “As long as Netanyahu is there, (Israel) will always identify somebody as an enemy,” Fidan said. “Because they need it to advance their own agenda. If not Turkey, they would name some other country in the region.”
On Gaza and Turkey’s role after any cease-fire, Fidan said Turkey joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which he said Turkey views as an “opportunity” to stop the war, while adding that Ankara is “not under the illusion” that the board will address all existing issues. He also said Turkey has offered to supply troops for an international stabilization force in Gaza, but that Ankara has not received a request to contribute troops and that he attributed the lack of a request to Israeli opposition.
Fidan said he believes the United States is “quietly trying to settle the issue with the Israelis to allow Turkey to participate.” He said Turkey’s priority is the establishment of an administration committee for Gaza made up of 15 politically independent Palestinian administrators, saying, “We expect them to go into Gaza and start their work,” and that the effort had not yet begun.