ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER
By Sumeyye Dilara Dincer
ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday that Iran’s strategy of bombing all Gulf countries "without making any distinction" was "an incredibly wrong strategy."
In an interview with state news broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan addressed the tense regional situation that erupted after the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and said the region was going through "extremely critical" days.
He said the region has suffered major pain and wars over the past 20 years, adding that the latest conflict was not confined to Iran alone.
“When we look at the effects of the war, as we had predicted earlier, it is spreading across the entire region,” he said.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the launch of Operation Epic Fury, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.
Tehran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US assets.
Fidan said that when Tehran perceives an existential threat, it adopts an approach of “if I go down, I will take the region with me,” targeting other countries in the region, particularly their energy infrastructure.
“Iran knows very well how vital the energy infrastructure in key regional countries is for the global economy, stability and energy security, and it carries out its attacks accordingly,” he added.
Fidan noted that as Iran comes under attack, it seeks to exert pressure through such actions, adding that how long the war will last remains controversial and open to various assessments.
"The crucial point here is: What are the aims of the attacking parties? What are they targeting? Two main sets of objectives emerge. The first is a military, professional assessment related to eliminating Iran's military capabilities. The view is that we will continue this operation until we achieve this goal.
"On the other hand, there is a perspective of a military operation aimed at regime change. The duration of the war, its form, its spread, and the risks it poses will all change according to these two objectives. These are two very different concepts," he said.
Fidan said efforts were underway to form a common position with certain countries, adding: “As a region, we are working on how to prevent this situation from getting worse.”
Pointing out that many Gulf countries worked to prevent the conflict from breaking out, Fidan said Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister was still trying to avert it up to an hour before the attack.
“They were actually acting in a way that would have benefited Iran. Despite this, Iran’s bombing of Oman as a mediator, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan — all of these places without making any distinction — is, in my view, an incredibly wrong strategy,” he said.
Fidan said such actions "significantly" increase regional risks and were also wrong both from the perspectives of regional friendly countries and of Iran. He added that Türkiye also considers this "as something that is wrong."
The foreign minister said that ahead of the war, Türkiye held talks both with Iranians and the US.
Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Jan. 27, Fidan said at that time, the US was on the verge of making a decision regarding the attack.
Fidan also noted that he had hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Jan. 30.
After talks with both of the parties, Fidan said the Americans wanted to resolve the issue by imposing four demands on the Iranians, but that this was not something the Iranians wanted.
"We said, 'You discuss two (demands), and we, as regional countries, will discuss the other two.' We actually created this discussion architecture beforehand. When we explained this to the Americans, they said 'okay.'"
- 'There is immense pressure from Israel'
According to Fidan, Araghchi initially said he would seek approval from Tehran’s decision-making authorities. After consultations, however, Iran reverted to its previous negotiation format.
He noted that in early February, what appeared to be imminent war was temporarily avoided. “As of that moment, there was no war,” he said, recalling public remarks he made around Feb. 8 or 9.
The minister said discussions between Iranian and American officials had taken place on various dates, adding that even if one side rejected the other’s position, Washington should have formally declared its withdrawal from talks rather than allow ambiguity to linger.
After the Feb. 27 talks, Fidan said he spoke separately with all three sides and concluded that developments were not moving in a positive direction. He relayed his concerns directly to Erdogan.
He emphasized that Iran’s preferred solution and timeline differed significantly from what the US needed, particularly under mounting military and political pressure.
"On the one hand, there is immense pressure from Israel. I believe that if the Iranians had better understood the decision-making pressure President Trump was facing and offered something earlier, Israel’s pressure might not have been as effective."
- 'The actor that will stop Israel is America'
On potential ceasefire efforts, Fidan said Iran appears more open to a truce, but persuading Washington would require a compelling and carefully structured set of arguments that Tehran would also accept.
“The appropriate negotiating actor must present it in a way where no one appears humiliated, no one looks like they are losing, and everyone emerges as if they have gained,” he said.
Fidan stressed that Türkiye could serve as a mediator if needed, though the substance of any proposal must first be solidly developed.
He added that numerous contacts were ongoing as diplomats search for a path to a ceasefire.
"At this point, the actor that will stop Israel is America. Certain issues need to be explained very clearly to America by the countries in the region and by European countries. Because the countries that will be affected by possible scenarios are these countries: the Gulf countries, Türkiye and European countries.
"Now, there is a traffic of exchange of views among these countries. And we are right in the middle of all these discussions. Frankly, some ideas have emerged, but I don't want to go into detail here," he said.
- 'This risk of expansion, frankly, worries us'
Fidan said Ankara had convened intensive interagency coordination meetings involving its Foreign Ministry, its Ministry of National Defense and its National Intelligence Organization to assess evolving scenarios.
He said President Erdogan is briefed almost hourly as part of what he described as a well-institutionalized crisis management process.
“As a state, we are accustomed to this,” Fidan said. “We have no difficulty in monitoring, reporting, or developing scenarios.”
He warned that energy markets were the first to feel the war's impact, with ripple effects likely to include energy shortages in Europe and renewed inflationary pressures. Markets adjusting to a new risk environment could present additional challenges, he added.
Fidan also cautioned that the war could widen if countries attacked exercise their right to retaliate. In conversations with regional counterparts, he said, it was clear that not only US bases but also energy infrastructure and civilian facilities were being targeted — developments that could make restraint increasingly difficult.
“This risk of expansion frankly worries us,” he said.
- 'Iran should not be humiliated'
Fidan said Erdogan suggested to Trump during their Jan. 27 phone call that they, as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet directly for trilateral talks.
"If the Iranian side had also accepted, it would have created a game-changing space," Fidan said, noting that negotiations at the time were deadlocked and required decisive political intervention.
“We knew talks had stalled in many areas. There was a need for a game-changing move,” he said. “We managed to delay the war for a while, but at a certain point, the parties could not obtain what they wanted.”
Fidan said the US and Israel appear to be weighing two potential objectives: eliminating Iran’s military capabilities or pursuing regime change.
“Depending on which objective is chosen, the duration and scope of the operation will change. The aftershocks and risks will also differ,” he said, expressing hope that Washington remains focused on the first scenario, which he described as less destabilizing for the broader region.
Fidan suggested that negotiations could still resume from that baseline and said Iran’s new leadership structure might offer an opportunity for flexibility. Iran is currently being governed by a temporary three-member council until a new leader is selected, Fidan noted, calling this a possible “window of opportunity” if handled carefully.
“Iran should not be humiliated, but the concerns of others must also be addressed,” he said, warning that prolonging the war would produce consequences worse than any negotiated concessions.
- Intelligence and defense capabilities
Turning to intelligence and defense capacity, Fidan said Iran has long operated under a war mentality but had not faced an attack of this type on its own territory since the Iran-Iraq War, noting that Tehran largely acted through proxy forces elsewhere.
He said the country has come under heavy pressure over the past year and recalled that Iranian nuclear scientists have been targeted in assassinations over the past several years.
“Failing to prevent these incidents is one issue, but at the very least, intelligence efforts are expected to identify those responsible ... It is not only Israel; other countries also carry out very serious intelligence and covert operations against Iran,” he said.
Fidan said modern warfare must be assessed through intelligence, security, military operations and timing.
“Cyber intelligence, signals intelligence, electronic intelligence, preventive intelligence, imagery intelligence from space … If you have not done your homework and developed capabilities in these areas, you should not even engage in verbal confrontation with Israel or the US,” he said.
Fidan added that Türkiye’s security, military and intelligence institutions, as well as its defense industry, have drawn important lessons from recent conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and last year’s 12-Day War.
- 'All possible scenarios and preparations are in place'
Addressing the situation of Turkish nationals in the region, Fidan said the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Call Center is keeping track of citizens daily.
He noted that intense military air traffic — including Israeli and US aircraft transiting Iraqi and Syrian airspace to conduct strikes — has effectively shut down civilian flights.
Ballistic missiles launched by Iran can reach distant targets within minutes, while drones may take several hours, he said, adding that the dense presence of military aircraft and unmanned systems makes civilian air operations currently unfeasible.
Fidan also acknowledged concerns about a potential migration wave across Turkey’s 534-kilometer (332-mile) border with Iran if the conflict drags on.
He said that interagency coordination meetings have addressed all possible scenarios and that preparations are in place.
"We see that such a wave of migration is possible in the worst-case scenario. It is important to address this. We are talking to our relevant institutions about this," Fidan said.
Türkiye has reinforced border security in recent years, including the construction of walls along parts of the Iranian frontier, he added, stressing that such measures are not only aimed at combating terrorism and smuggling but also at mitigating risks stemming from regional wars.
Fidan said Ankara was also confronting disinformation campaigns related to Türkiye’s policies and regional stance. He noted that institutions including the Presidency’s Communications Directorate, the Foreign Ministry and the National Intelligence Organization are coordinating efforts to identify and counter hostile narratives.
“First, we determine who is doing it, why they are doing it and what methods they are using,” he said. “Then, we take all necessary measures, including exposing the actors involved.”
- Türkiye's 'eyes and ears' on Gaza
Turning to Gaza, Fidan said the current war in the region had not improved conditions in besieged Palestinian enclave and warned that provocations could undermine fragile ceasefire arrangements there.
Türkiye, he said, is simultaneously working to halt the broader conflict, while addressing humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
“Our eyes and ears are there,” Fidan said. “While we work to stop this war, we are also striving to address potential disruptions in Gaza, especially regarding humanitarian aid.”
* Writing by Diyar Guldogan in Washington, DC, and Selcuk Uysal in Ankara