Türkiye's Fidan frames US-Israel war on Iran as 'illegal', calls for pressure on Tel Aviv

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the US and Israel launched the war on Iran "illegally", stressing that Ankara’s top priority had been to prevent the conflict from breaking out.

Speaking in an interview with A Haber on Friday, Fidan said Türkiye’s second objective was to contain the war and prevent its spread, while the third was to keep the country out of the conflict.

“Our priority was to prevent the war from breaking out, secondly to prevent it from spreading, and thirdly to keep Türkiye out of this war,” he said.

Fidan also pointed to ongoing diplomatic efforts, saying that if there is genuine intent on both sides, they could be brought together at some point.

“Just like in the Gaza war, the world’s expectation is for this unjust war to stop as soon as possible and for its negative effects to come to an end,” he added.

Addressing the situation in Gaza and wider regional tensions, Fidan criticised what he described as the international community’s failure to exert sufficient pressure on Israel.

He said recent developments have demonstrated “the world’s inability to apply pressure on Israel” on key issues.

Fidan also pointed to the role of the United States in ongoing diplomacy with Iran, saying that if Washington succeeds in advancing negotiations or reaching an agreement, it must also be prepared to use its influence over Israel.

‘Seed of discord’

Warning of broader regional risks, Fidan said the Middle East is being gradually drawn into what he described as a scenario driven by Israel.

“Unfortunately, the region is being drawn step by step into a game scripted by Israel,” he said.

He also cautioned against Israel’s divisive plans, saying a “seed of discord” is being sown that could make unity among Muslim countries increasingly difficult.

“Our number one goal as Türkiye is to prevent this discord from emerging,” Fidan said.

Regional meeting

Fidan said plans for a regional meeting involving Türkiye, Pakistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have been adjusted, with talks now likely to take place in Pakistan as early as this weekend.

Fidan noted that the meeting was initially intended to be hosted in Türkiye but was relocated after Pakistan’s representative was unable to travel.

“We initially intended to hold the meeting in Türkiye, but since our Pakistani brother had to stay in his country, we shifted it to Pakistan,” he said.

Intense diplomacy

He underscored the scale of current diplomatic efforts, stating, “Currently, we have an incredibly intense diplomatic traffic.”

Addressing regional dynamics, Fidan warned that a prolonged crisis could trigger broader alignments.

“If the crisis drags on, the formation of a broader anti-Iran coalition in the region appears inevitable,” he said.

Fidan further cautioned against the exploitation of ethnic dynamics in the region, particularly involving Kurdish populations.

“The issue of our Kurdish brothers and sisters being exploited at a certain point and being used as pawns in this game is a situation we do not want to see,” he said.