Politics
Erdoğan urges diplomacy on Iran, warns against escalation
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged restraint and diplomacy regarding Iran, warning against actions that could lead to widespread regional destruction, during talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Erdoğan said any effort aimed at the total destruction of Iran would be unacceptable, while also criticizing Tehran’s stance toward neighboring countries, stressing that all parties must act responsibly and prioritize diplomatic solutions.
He also warned that Israel’s continued disregard for international law in Gaza and elsewhere risks prolonging instability across the region if not addressed.
The Turkish president further emphasized the need to revive negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, calling on the international community to take a more serious and peace-focused approach.
Erdoğan also noted that cooperation between Türkiye and Spain, particularly in defense, continues to be welcomed by both nations and should be further strengthened.
Sanchez frequently rejected what he called the unilateral military action by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which he said represented an escalation and contributed to a more uncertain and hostile international order.
Opposition to the U.S.-Israel-Iran war united Spaniards and Turks. Türkiye, like Spain, has refused to take sides in the ongoing war and equally criticized both parties while urging for diplomatic means to resolve their differences.
The European country has already won the admiration of the Turkish public for demonstrating the most passionate opposition to Israel’s massacres in Gaza.
Two years after an unprecedented success in local elections, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is challenged by an internal split. Media reports say infighting between those loyal to the current administration and those acting with former Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu may split the party. A report by the Sabah newspaper indicates that incumbent Chair Özgür Özel and his close associate, former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, may found a new party.
Imamoğlu was arrested last year on charges of corruption, shortly before he was declared the future presidential candidate of Türkiye’s oldest party. Özel long counted on him as a contender against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 vote, but his imprisonment and annulment of his diploma (a requirement to contest in elections) hindered those plans. Moreover, serious allegations of corruption involving Imamoğlu as well as other CHP mayors gave rise to the dissent in the party, urging the Özel administration to “come clean.”
Another challenge for the CHP is a trial on vote-buying allegations regarding the intra-party election in 2023 that brought Özel to power. A recent hearing on the trial has been postponed to May 6. In the trial, Özel and his associates are accused of buying votes of delegates to oust Kılıçdaroğlu. The court may hand down a verdict of “absolute nullification” of the Özel administrationö and if it happens, a trustee will be appointed to run the party, dimming the hopes of winning any future election.
The report by Sabah says Özel’s opponents within the party mobilized amid rumors of “nullification” and were holding frequent meetings with Kılıçdaroğlu, in a bid to convince him to return to his former post, this time as a trustee. In this scenario, Özel and Imamoğlu will join a new party that will be founded by their supporters, the report said. A dissident of Özel speaking anonymously to the newspaper said the number of CHP lawmakers to join the new party would be “limited,” citing that most incumbent lawmakers owed their seats to Kılıçdaroğlu and most felt respect and gratitude to the former chair.
They said up to 40 names may switch to the new party, and Kılıçdaroğlu would still have at least 100 lawmakers loyal to him in this scenario. The CHP currently has 138 seats in Parliament. Another senior figure in the party told Sabah that Kılıçdaroğlu still had clout in the party despite “attempts by armies of social media trolls to portray otherwise.”
“The CHP needs to purge itself (of corruption),” the source said.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance, values or position of Daily Sabah. The newspaper provides space for diverse perspectives as part of its commitment to open and informed public discussion.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper discussed diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing regional war and secure lasting peace, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
They also reviewed bilateral relations between Türkiye and the U.K.
The call came after U.S. President Donald Trump gave Iran until 8 p.m. Tuesday Eastern (0000GMT Wednesday) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement or face attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Regional tensions have escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,400 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets. Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart Muhammad Ishaq Dar to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said Tuesday.
No further information was released about the call that came hours after Pakistan made a last-minute proposal to avert catastrophic U.S. attacks on Iran, hours ahead of a deadline set by President Donald Trump who warned a “whole civilization will die tonight”.
The White House said it was aware and would respond to the proposal by Pakistan, which has sought to mediate after more than five weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X.
He appealed directly to Trump to extend his deadline set for 8:00 PM Washington time (midnight GMT) by two weeks.
In turn, he asked Iran to commit for two weeks to fulfilling Trump’s key demand — reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital gateway for global oil which Tehran closed in retaliation for the war.
The latest threats from Trump, shocking even by his own provocative standards, brought disbelief and warnings that he was encouraging genocide — potentially one day leading to war crimes charges against US servicemembers who comply.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The rhetoric was an escalation from a profanity-laden post two days earlier, on Easter Sunday, in which Trump threatened to destroy all bridges and power plants in the country of 90 million — a war crime unless proven that the sites are mostly for military use.
Pope Leo XIV said that “this threat against all the people of Iran” was “truly unacceptable”.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen will make his inaugural visit to Türkiye on Thursday. The minister, who assumed office in February, will meet Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, with a busy agenda on Turkish-Dutch relations and other issues.
Foreign Ministry sources said on Wednesday that during the talks, Fidan is expected to highlight the importance of improving multidimensional relations between the two countries, especially in the framework of the planned 11th meeting of the “Wittenburg Conference” in Türkiye.
The conferences were inaugurated in 2008, in the eponymous castle in the Dutch Wassenaar. They were scrapped between 2014 and 2018 as the two countries’ relations deteriorated over a series of issues, particularly over the Dutch opposition to a campaign on the Turkish constitutional referendum that led to a diplomatic crisis. The sides resumed relations in 2019.
Still, issues remain between the two countries while Ankara apparently hopes to overcome them with the new Dutch government, which took office two months ago. One of them is the extradition of a terror suspect. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, who hosted his Dutch counterpart David van Weel earlier this month, pointed out the issue at the meeting. Gürlek stated back then that they were still awaiting the extradition of 217 Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and eight PKK members from the Netherlands, according to the minutes of the meeting released by the Turkish Ministry of Justice. FETÖ, which is known for its widespread infiltration in Türkiye, tried to overthrow the government three times in 2013 and 2016. When their network was uncovered in the wake of these attempts, members of the terrorist group fled abroad, mostly to Europe. Germany and the Netherlands were among the “safe havens” they found. European countries were quick to grant asylum to FETÖ members who portrayed themselves as members of the so-called innocuous-sounding “Service (or Gülen) Movement.” Gürlek also urged the Netherlands not to grant asylum or hand out residence permits to members of FETÖ and the PKK and to consider reviewing permits already issued.
Foreign Ministry sources said Fidan would also discuss sustaining work to increase bilateral trade volume to $20 billion. In 2025, the trade volume was $13.3 billion. The Netherlands ranks first among countries with direct investment in Türkiye, which reached to $33 billion in 2025. Türkiye’s direct investment in the Netherlands exceeded $21 billion. Two countries have a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which held its last meeting in Istanbul in January 2025.
Fidan is also expected to highlight the need for having a strategic viewpoint by the European Union in Turkish-EU relations and, in this context, will voice Türkiye’s anticipation of progress in matters including updating the customs union and establishment of visa liberalization, sources said. He will also talk about the need for cooperation with all partners under the umbrella of NATO for initiatives launched by the European Union to improve the continent’s security. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and a fallout with the United States on defense pushed Europe to boost its defenses. Last year, EU countries adopted a regulation setting up SAFE, a new financial instrument designed to support member states that wish to invest in defense industrial production through common procurement, focusing on priority capabilities. Türkiye seeks inclusion in the mechanism as a partner.
The talks will also focus on the Turkish diaspora in the Netherlands and how Türkiye prioritized their peace and prosperity. The European country hosts a Turkish community of around 500,000 people.
In addition, Fidan will discuss the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran that began with attacks on Iran and continued with Iran’s attacks on third countries. The ministry sources said Fidan will share information about efforts for a peaceful solution to the conflict. Separately, the Turkish minister will highlight how Israel’s illegal moves in the Palestinian territories, annexation policies and escalating attacks on Lebanon threatened regional stability. He will stress that Israel’s attempts and provocations targeting sacred sites, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, were unacceptable.
Sources said Fidan will reiterate Türkiye’s commitment to success in diplomatic processes to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and underline how important it was for Syria to stay away from regional conflicts in its path to recovery, after years of civil war.
Türkiye and the Netherlands pursue close dialogue in the face of regional and global challenges and maintain multidimensional relations with political, economic, military and social aspects.
The last high-level meeting between the two countries was between then-Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the margins of the NATO summit in June 2025. Fidan himself visited the Netherlands for the 10th meeting of the Wittenburg Conferences in April 2024.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan resumed his phone diplomacy for ending the U.S.-Israel-Iran war on Wednesday, hours after the United States refrained from a hinted all-out offensive, and the sides appear to accept a cease-fire.
Fidan held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and expressed Türkiye’s satisfaction with the temporary cease-fire, Foreign Ministry sources said. He said Ankara would continue its efforts to establish a permanent peace.
Türkiye recently joined Pakistan and Egypt in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
After Araghchi, Fidan held a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Sources said the two top diplomats discussed steps for elevating the temporary cease-fire to a permanent, regional truce.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week cease-fire with Iran on Tuesday, saying Tehran presented a “workable” 10-point proposal for negotiations.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the 10-point proposal delivered to the U.S. through Pakistani mediation includes a key U.S. commitment to non-aggression, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of uranium enrichment, and the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions.
The proposal also includes paying compensation to Iran, withdrawing U.S. combat forces from the region and ending the war on all fronts, including the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Turkish security forces detained 29 suspects in coordinated operations across 12 provinces centered in Izmir as part of an investigation into the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), authorities said Tuesday.
The operations were carried out under the coordination of the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with police and gendarmerie units conducting simultaneous raids.
According to officials, the suspects were identified as part of the group’s alleged military clandestine structure. Investigators said some of the suspects had been dismissed from military schools by government decree and were linked through witness statements and identification procedures. Authorities also said the suspects were contacted via payphones, a method previously associated with the group’s communication network.
Police counterterrorism and intelligence units detained 19 suspects during operations across multiple provinces. Authorities said two additional suspects were believed to be abroad.
Separately, gendarmerie counterterrorism teams carried out early morning raids targeting addresses linked to the same network, detaining 10 suspects. One additional suspect remained at large, with efforts ongoing to locate and apprehend the individual.
Legal proceedings have been initiated against all 29 detainees, authorities said, adding that the investigation is continuing.
The terrorist group orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed, and 2,734 were wounded. Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Türkiye has targeted the group’s active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016.
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