Turkish foreign minister warns new attack on Iran would escalate regional conflict

The Turkish foreign minister warned on Friday that a new attack on Iran would further spread war and conflict across the region. “Military intervention in Iran is by no means a solution. No one supports this at the moment,” Hakan Fidan told reporters after an R4+E3 meeting in Istanbul, the first-ever meeting in this format. The US and Israel are said to have developed plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections. The war that began in late February has yet to be settled despite a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding to finalize a peace deal. Speaking on the Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan said: “Either the war must stop, or, if it does not, parties must agree to exemptions for energy and grain issues.” The R4 mechanism was established by Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the basis of regional ownership, with the aim of supporting lasting stability and strengthening dialogue on regional issues. The E3 mechanism, made up of Germany, the UK and France, emerged from trilateral diplomatic cooperation on Iran’s nuclear program launched in 2003.​​​​​​​