Erdogan urges Trump to avoid fresh Iran strikes as Turkey pushes for deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged US President Donald Trump over the weekend not to launch another round of strikes on Iran , as regional countries stepped up efforts to de-escalate tensions, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin said. Speaking at a conference in Ankara on Monday, Kalin said that Erdogan made the appeal to Trump during a phone call on Saturday. Kalin added that any US attack on Iran would trigger another vicious cycle of regional violence.

Kalin said Turkey and other regional mediators were making progress on a seven-point plan, which he described as a fair agreement. Under the proposed deal, Iran would receive sanctions relief and gain access to frozen funds. In return, Tehran would commit to not obtaining nuclear weapons and agree to engage with the International Atomic Energy Agency to begin separate nuclear negotiations. Iran would then unblock the Strait of Hormuz, Kalin said.

"It's just a matter of sequencing right now who will take the first step," Kalin said. "That's where we are." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters He cautioned that even a small incident could plunge the region into a new wave of conflict. "If you can get this agreement in the next few days, then there will not be a strike," he said, adding that without a deal, fresh US attacks on Iran could come within days.

Kalin called for greater flexibility from Iran to help move the process forward. Erdogan is expected to host regional leaders in Antalya on the sidelines of the Cop31 climate summit, providing a potential opportunity to advance the agreement. He also said Qatar would host US Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian national security official Mohsen Rezaei next week, describing the meeting as an important opportunity for a breakthrough in negotiations.

Still far apart on deal An Iranian source familiar with the matter, however, struck a pessimistic tone, saying there was little hope that Washington would move forward with the agreement. The source told Middle East Eye that Iran expected another wave of escalation soon, which would provoke a forceful response from Tehran against US bases in the region and beyond. "Trump only understands the cost and we have to make it very costly to him," the source said.

Some Iranian media outlets published footage over the weekend suggesting that Iran could attack US bases in Europe. This prompted debate in Turkey over how Ankara might respond as a Nato ally if such an attack triggered an alliance response. The Iranian source accused European countries of deepening tensions between Iran and the US rather than helping to ease them. "We won't target the European bases but the American ones which have been used by the US forces to attack Iran," the source said.

Asked about a potential Nato response, the source said European military capabilities did not exceed those of the US and argued that Europeans should not be concerned because only American bases would be targeted. Copyright © 2014 - 2026 . Middle East Eye. All rights reserved. Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters. Middle East Eye ISSN 2634-2456