ANKARA, March 3 (Reuters) – Turkey is engaging with all parties to find a way to end the war in Iran and return to negotiations, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, adding that Ankara was also in talks with Oman on the matter as the Gulf nation works for the same goal.
The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. The war quickly widened with Tehran striking Gulf states that host U.S. bases and Israel attacking Iranian-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Turkey, a NATO member and neighbour of Iran, had for weeks urged Washington and Tehran to reach an agreement during their rounds of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and missile capabilities, warning that the region could not handle any more destabilisation.
Fidan told members of Turkish media during a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner on Tuesday that Turkey was “sensitively carrying out necessary initiatives with all our counterparts” to achieve peace in the region, and added it was critical to preserve the stability of Iran and the region.
“There isn’t a single-layered negotiation, there is a multi-layered negotiation,” Fidan said, according to a transcript of his comments shared on Tuesday.
“We have been talking to the Europeans for a few days… If you want peace, let’s work together. We are urging them to take action. The Gulf nations are now facing a serious situation,” he said.
“We are talking to the Omani (foreign minister). Oman is also still trying to do something there. We are talking to the Americans.”
In his strongest yet opposition to the attacks against Iran, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that they were a “clear violation” of international law.
Fidan warned against the conflict engulfing the whole region and affecting energy supplies. He added that the closure of the Hormuz Strait, where one-fifth of global oil trade skirts Iran’s coast, could “push the United States to obtain a quick result”.
He said Iran was trying to “create costs” for the U.S. and its partners by attacking Gulf states and energy infrastructure, but added that he didn’t believe Tehran could obtain the desired result that way.
“By bombing these places, Iran will say they should pressure the United States and end the war, but that doesn’t seem like it will happen. I don’t know how much Iran has left,” he said, adding that Tehran could instead “bother” Israel with missile strikes.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler, William Maclean)
