Erdogan Urges Trump to Revive Talks with Iran

By Staff, Agencies

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged US President Donald Trump during a phone call to pursue negotiations with Iran to ease tensions, while offering Ankara’s support for peace efforts, the Turkish presidency said Tuesday.

Turkey, which shares a border with Iran and has NATO’s second-largest army, has repeatedly called for an end to the war while maintaining contacts with Washington, Tehran, and mediators including Pakistan and Qatar.

Erdogan stressed the importance of making full use of diplomacy to resolve US-Iran tensions and expressed hope that talks would continue, according to the presidency.

The call followed remarks by a senior Iranian official that Tehran would adopt a “fully offensive” military posture as negotiations for a lasting end to the war stalled, while Washington ruled out extending a temporary ceasefire. Efforts to restore oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have likewise made little progress.

Turkey has condemned the US and "Israeli" aggression against Iran, while also criticizing Iranian attacks on Gulf states and calling for the reopening of Hormuz.

Tehran has repeatedly said US military bases and economic assets in the Gulf have been used to launch aggression against Iran, including strikes that claimed civilian lives, framing actions against such facilities as retaliation.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister discussed reopening Hormuz and maintaining the ceasefire with his Iranian counterpart on Monday.

Erdogan and Trump also discussed bilateral ties, the war on Gaza, and a defense pact signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Erdogan reportedly said the agreement reflected a strong position in support of regional stability and security.

He also told Trump that "Israeli" attacks on Palestinians had intensified as the second phase of Trump’s so-called “Gaza Peace Plan” approached.

Trump later welcomed the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense agreement as a “big, bold, and important first step” toward greater regional military self-reliance.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on August 7, establishing a framework for collective defense and expanded military cooperation. Under its mutual-defense principle, an armed attack on any of the three countries is considered an attack against all.

The pact brings together Saudi Arabia’s financial and energy resources, Turkey’s large military and expanding defense industry, and Pakistan’s substantial armed forces and nuclear deterrent.