Türkiye steps up diplomacy as US-Iran stand-off threatens regional peace

Türkiye has emerged as a key peace broker focused on preventing a regional war, as growing tensions between the US and Iran threatened to spiral into a full-blown conflagration. 

With US President Donald Trump ramping up military presence in the Middle East and Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warning of a broader war, Ankara is facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

Trump has threatened military intervention if Tehran does not agree to a new nuclear deal or halt its crackdown against Iranian protesters demanding an end to their economic woes.

Subsequently, the US has deployed additional naval assets, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, to the region.

In turn, Iran has signalled readiness for talks if they are “fair and equitable”, while rejecting maximalist US demands and designating EU armies as “terrorist groups”.

Against this background, Türkiye has offered mediation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan last week, when Fidan emphasised opposition to military action against Iran and expressed support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

President Erdogan has directly conveyed Türkiye's readiness to mediate in a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Separately, Erdogan also spoke to Trump, offering to host a teleconference between the two countries to ease tensions.

Regional allies like Qatar have also joined efforts to arrange diplomatic channels and push for negotiations.

Analysts say Türkiye’s balanced relationships with both the US and Iran position it to keep communication channels open and avert escalation.

Gokhan Ereli, an Ankara-based independent researcher, tells TRT World that Türkiye is using multiple diplomatic channels to help resolve the conflict.

Rather than relying on isolated meetings, Türkiye has “instrumentalised overlapping channels” such as face-to-face talks, phone diplomacy, and parallel consultations with US officials in Ankara, even as public rhetoric hardened, he says.

This methodical approach, he says, reflects Türkiye's innovative search for “flexible formats” like the proposed trilateral meeting, which can “lower tensions without forcing either side into an immediate climbdown”.

Ereli rates these efforts highly in terms of intangible gains. While no formal agreement has materialised and the US-Iran confrontation persists, Türkiye's diplomacy has helped keep dialogue alive, prevented a total collapse of communication, and positioned Ankara as an interlocutor rather than a bystander, he says.

“Maintaining conversation may appear modest, but it is often the thin line separating managed tension from open confrontation,” he says.

A ‘vital lifeline’ for Tehran

Türkiye's coordination with other regional powers further amplifies its effectiveness as a peace broker.

Ereli highlights how Ankara has aligned with nations like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, driven by a “shared concern that war would further destabilise an already fragile regional order”.

These countries are motivated not by affinity for Iran but by the fear of “uncontrollable spill-over effects” from escalation, he says.

Türkiye has intensified its security dialogue with Saudi Arabia, while collaborating closely with Qatar and Oman to prevent a military strike on Iran, he adds.

Geography also plays a crucial role in this crisis. Türkiye's 560-kilometre border with Iran and Qatar's maritime proximity make them acutely vulnerable, Ereli says.

Through diplomatic lobbying, public cautioning, and behind-the-scenes efforts, these countries have tried to shift the US focus towards restraint.

Oral Toga, a researcher at the Ankara-based Centre for Iranian Studies, tells TRT World that Tehran views Türkiye's mediation as a vital lifeline.

Eager to prevent an all-out war, Iran sees Türkiye's push for trilateral dialogue as a “window of opportunity”, he says.

“The proposal is likely to be welcomed by factions in Iran that hold a realist perspective,” he says. It may unsettle conservatives, but the proposal will likely be acceptable given the “gravity of the current situation and concerns over national survival”.

Toga points out the trust that underpins this dynamic. Türkiye-Iran relations are “shaped by the necessities imposed by geopolitical reality”, with a history of cooperation and mutual interdependencies that foster sincerity.

He says that the evidence of this trust includes Araghchi’s continued engagement with Türkiye both before and after the 12-day war, when the US joined Israel in a surprise attack on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities in June last year.

Such confidence bolsters Türkiye's role, as seen in Erdogan's recent phone call with Pezeshkian, in which Ankara reaffirmed its facilitating position.

Toga also mentions potential risks if mediation fails, noting that while migration is not the primary concern due to the mountainous border, escalation could disrupt energy ties, tourism, and broader regional stability, affecting neighbours from the Gulf to Central Asia.

Ankara as a ‘regional stabiliser’

Matthew Bryza, a former US ambassador to Azerbaijan and an Istanbul-based expert on Eurasian affairs, tells TRT World that Türkiye's peace efforts align with the country’s core foreign policy ethos.

He draws parallels to 2002-2003, when Türkiye advised the US against the Iraq invasion, warning of regional instability, a counsel the US ignored at great cost.

Today, Bryza says Trump is “listening to President Erdogan” and Secretary of State Rubio to Foreign Minister Fidan, because of the “respect” that US leaders hold for their Turkish counterparts.

While Trump aims to “destroy Iran's ballistic missile production capabilities” and air defences to maintain options without invasion, Bryza describes Türkiye's peace brokering as “crisis diplomacy” focused on persuasion rather than long-term strategy.

Bryza notes Tehran’s welcome of Türkiye’s mediation, though the Trump administration has yet to commit to formal processes like a trilateral meeting.

Importantly, recent US military movements like the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln suggest no immediate large-scale campaign, potentially giving Türkiye's efforts some breathing room, he says.

He downplays NATO linkages, asserting that Türkiye's actions stem from its inherent status as a regional power.

Ereli says that Ankara links Iran’s stability to its own security and the wider balance of power in the Middle East.

Ankara advances a “multi-vector foreign policy” that keeps communication channels open with diverse actors, he says.

“By advocating dialogue and offering itself as a mediator, Türkiye reinforces its role as a regional stabiliser whose participation is difficult to bypass.”