Fidan: No Serious Initiative to Resume U.S.–Iran Negotiations; Turkey Seeks to Stay Out of Conflict

Welat TV – Erbil

Hakan Fidan, Foreign Minister of Turkey, said that current conditions do not allow for launching a serious initiative to resume negotiations between the United States and Iran regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.

In remarks to Associated Press published on Sunday, Fidan explained that the current atmosphere is not conducive to diplomacy, noting that Iranian officials feel “betrayed” after being attacked while they were engaged in active negotiations with Washington over their nuclear program.

The Turkish minister stressed that Ankara maintains good relations with both Washington and Tehran, emphasizing that the Turkish government is adopting a cautious approach aimed at keeping the country outside the scope of the conflict.

He added that Turkey’s top priority is to avoid becoming involved in the war, despite the interception of three missiles believed to have been launched from Iran over Turkish territory by air defense systems belonging to NATO.

Fidan also ruled out any Turkish military response at this stage, noting that NATO air defense systems had effectively dealt with the potential threats.

In a related context, he said that Ankara had attempted before the crisis erupted to host talks in Istanbul bringing together the United States, Iran, and regional countries.

However, Tehran preferred to conduct negotiations through mediation by Oman, talks which ultimately ended in failure.

Fidan also addressed the rising tensions between Turkey and Israel, warning that the continuation of Israeli policies in the region would keep the Middle East vulnerable to further conflicts.