Politics
Erdoğan warns against US-Iran war, slams Israeli aggression
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that a new conflict involving Iran would plunge the Middle East into “a fresh wave of destruction,” stressing that Türkiye firmly opposes any U.S. or Israeli military action and is ready to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published Tuesday, Erdoğan said Türkiye has urged all counterparts to exercise restraint amid ongoing regional tensions.
“The wounds inflicted by the implementation of such scenarios in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan remain vivid in our collective memory. For this reason, as Türkiye, we categorically oppose the outbreak of a new war or a new wave of destruction in our region,” Erdoğan said, adding that Ankara advocates resolving issues through dialogue, reason, prudence, and sound judgment.
“We have openly and consistently expressed our opposition to any military intervention against Iran on every platform,” the president said, and added that they advise their counterparts to refrain from “any steps that could escalate tensions, exercising due restraint.”
Noting that Türkiye is ready to undertake a facilitation role, Erdoğan said Ankara continues to diplomatically engage with the U.S. and Iran and opposes every step that would escalate tensions in the region.
Türkiye has sought to solve the crisis through diplomacy and was scheduled to hold U.S.-Iran talks but sources said Tuesday that Tehran wants its planned meeting shifted from Istanbul to Oman and limit them strictly to bilateral nuclear talks.
“Our aim is not to manage crises, but to prevent them,” he said.
Regarding Gaza, Erdoğan said the main barrier to the second phase of the peace plan is the fragility of the cease-fire and Israel’s continued obstruction of aid and displacement of civilians. He called for Israel’s gradual withdrawal in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803, immediate large-scale reconstruction and uninterrupted humanitarian access. He noted that Türkiye is prepared to contribute to a peacekeeping or international mission in Gaza once the conditions are met.
“The label does not matter – the mission must protect civilians, support aid delivery and reinforce lasting peace,” he said.
Erdoğan sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for rejecting Turkish and Qatari involvement in Gaza, saying such debates “do not produce solutions.” He stressed that any postwar arrangement must reflect the will of the Palestinian people, calling this “the only source of legitimacy.”
The president also condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, calling the move “illegitimate, null and void,” and warning that it threatens stability in the Horn of Africa. He said Türkiye will continue defending Somalia’s territorial integrity and welcomed the swift rejection of the decision by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the OIC, the Arab League, the EU and African Union officials.
Regarding Syria, Erdoğan said emerging diplomatic and on-the-ground developments in Türkiye’s southern neighbor indicate that a new political horizon is possible, emphasizing that any lasting settlement must preserve the country’s territorial integrity and restore state authority nationwide.
He said narrowing conflict zones and recent integration steps show progress, but stressed that durable peace also requires social reconciliation and a shared sense of belonging under the central government. Erdoğan noted that Türkiye’s benchmark is a Syria that does not threaten its neighbors, rejects terrorist safe havens and includes all communities on an equal-citizenship basis. He added that Türkiye, together with partners such as Saudi Arabia, will support every constructive initiative that strengthens Syria’s unity and stability both in negotiations and on the ground.
Erdoğan also highlighted Türkiye’s recent humanitarian and diplomatic initiatives in Sudan, including reopening the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Ziraat Bank offices in Port Sudan, restarting Turkish Airlines flights and delivering more than 12,000 tons of aid. He said Türkiye will support coordination among Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States in efforts to end the conflict.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh in Ankara on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources.
The meeting focused on regional and global developments, the sources said.
The sources said on Monday that Türkiye would reiterate its full support to the State of Palestine, safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the vision for a two-state solution during the talks. It was also highlighted that Türkiye will not allow the Netanyahu government’s illegal actions and annexation policies in the occupied Palestinian territories to hinder regional and international efforts for the two-state solution.
Fidan was also expected to underline the international community’s responsibility to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from deepening. The talks would focus on the “Board of Peace” and related mechanisms, the situation on the field and future steps, sources said, adding that they would also raise the issue of Israel’s attempts to undermine the Board of Peace’s activities.
The Turkish public and government are major supporters of the Palestinian cause. Türkiye has been a traditional ally to Palestine, but as the Israeli attacks became more brutal, Ankara has become harsher in its criticism in the past year. It has condemned what it calls genocide, halted all trade with Israel and applied to join the genocide case against Israel at the World Court, which Israel rejects.
Türkiye’s intelligence chief held talks with a senior Hamas delegation in Ankara, with discussions centered on the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis, security sources said.
The head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın, met with Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team, along with accompanying officials, in a meeting that addressed key regional developments.
According to sources, the talks focused on the situation in Gaza, including Israel’s continued military operations and their humanitarian impact. The sides also discussed Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and restrictions imposed on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Participants emphasized the need for Israel to fulfill its obligations under the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire plan and reviewed prospects for implementing the second phase.
The Hamas delegation expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s efforts to support peace in Gaza and conveyed thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for Ankara’s ongoing diplomatic engagement.
Turkish authorities have issued detention warrants for 12 suspects as part of an investigation into the alleged “public sector confidential structure” of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), prosecutors said Tuesday.
According to a statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau identified suspects who allegedly operated within the group’s covert network, infiltrating state institutions. The probe focused on operational phone lines and communication methods used by the organization.
Authorities said evidence indicates that the suspects used ByLock, an encrypted messaging application associated with FETÖ, and were in contact through sequential calls made via payphones and prepaid lines, a known communication tactic of the group.
Some suspects are also linked to prior testimonies regarding organizational activities.
Among the 12 suspects, five are reportedly still employed in public institutions. Police counterterrorism units, in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), launched simultaneous operations across four provinces centered in Ankara to detain the suspects.
Separately, in the northwestern province of Edirne, four individuals, including three suspects accused of links to FETÖ, were captured while they were allegedly attempting to cross the border illegally, officials said Monday.
According to security sources, teams from the Provincial Police Department’s Intelligence Branch and the Keşan Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit conducted an operation targeting individuals preparing for illegal departure abroad.
Following procedures at the police station, all four suspects were referred to court. A judge ordered their arrest pending trial, authorities said.
FETÖ is behind the defeated coup attempt, in which 252 people were killed, and 2,734 were wounded. The attempt was plotted and carried out by FETÖ.
Along with the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration.
Türkiye has targeted the terrorist group’s active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016.
Abdullah Öcalan, jailed ringleader of the PKK terrorist group, confirmed that his group’s “armed struggle” ended and there was no turning back. “It is a process of transition to peace within a democratic republic,” Öcalan said in a message relayed through a delegation of pro-PKK Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Tuesday.
The delegation visited Öcalan the island prison where he is incarcerated on March 27 as part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
The terror-free Türkiye initiative was launched by government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli in 2024. Öcalan has agreed to Bahçeli’s invitation to call on the PKK to lay down arms. After Öcalan’s landmark message in February 2025, the PKK consented to start the disarmament process. Since then, Turkish authorities have monitored the full disarmament process and are expected to implement laws to further facilitate the initiative, including by possible leniency in sentencing for PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
In his message, Öcalan said the process’ success would “double the strength of the republic.”
“The democratic society is based on such a solution. We have to develop an understanding of citizenship regulating Kurds’ relation with the state in a positive manner,” Öcalan said.
For decades, the PKK carried out a campaign of violence for what it called a self-styled Kurdish autonomy. Öcalan underlined that the initiative was an attempt to resolve a major problem and people should not have a narrow view.
“Pro-hegemony forces have designs for the Middle East. We have seen relatively positive developments in Syria but now war on Iran broke out. The war on Iran laid bare three sides: the U.S.-Israel side, a side led by the United Kingdom, some international and regional powers seeking to maintain status quo and the third side is ours, a side defending democracy and coexistence with the ‘Peace and Democratic Society Process,’” he said, using a name he gave to the terror-free Türkiye initiative.
”What is happening in Iran proved that the process in Türkiye is on the right path and demonstrated that it is important,” Öcalan said.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, colleagues and friends of Mehmet Selim Kiraz joined on Tuesday a commemoration ceremony for Mehmet Selim Kiraz, the prosecutor who was killed by terrorists 11 years ago. On the same day, authorities announced a new operation into the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), which was behind the killing, and captured 12 suspects linked to the group.
Kiraz was the prosecutor behind the investigation into the death of Berkin Elvan, who was killed in the Gezi Park riots in 2014. Elvan posthumously became a poster child for DHKP-C propaganda. On March 31, 2015, two DHKP-C terrorists, including one posing as a lawyer, entered the Istanbul courthouse where Kiraz was working. The two suspects held Kiraz hostage for hours before the security forces closed in on them. The terrorists who briefly broadcast the incident live murdered Kiraz hours later. Security forces then stormed the room where Kiraz was held hostage and killed the two murderers of 46-year-old Kiraz.
The main courthouse of Istanbul in the Çağlayan neighborhood was named after the prosecutor posthumously. Gürlek, who worked at the same courthouse as chief prosecutor before his appointment as minister last February, paid tribute to Kiraz in a speech at the courthouse, near the room where Kiraz was killed, which was turned into a commemoration spot.
“These bullets were not just meant for Kiraz. They tried to attack the Turkish judiciary, but let them; the judiciary never succumbs to fear,” Gürlek said in a speech at the ceremony on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, police in Istanbul and the northern city of Giresun launched operations against the DHKP-C and detained 12 suspects who were working for an association linked to the terrorist group.
The DHKP-C is an offshoot of an extremist Marxist-Leninist movement that emerged in the 1970s and was formally established in the 1990s after splintering from a broader coalition of far-left organizations. The group has been responsible for a series of violent attacks over the decades, including the assassination of two politicians and several intelligence officials in 1980.
While the organization maintained a relatively low profile for years, it resurfaced with high-profile attacks in the past decade. In 2013, a DHKP-C militant carried out a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy compound in Ankara, killing a Turkish security guard.
In 2024, the group attempted a similar attack at the courthouse where they killed Kiraz, but police officers stationed outside the building thwarted the operation, killing two attackers before they could enter.
A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was successfully intercepted by NATO air and missile defense systems in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, underscoring Ankara’s readiness to act decisively against any threat to its sovereignty.
The ministry said the projectile was detected and neutralized before it could pose a risk, highlighting the effectiveness of coordinated defense mechanisms in the region.
It continued by emphasizing that all necessary measures are being implemented without hesitation to safeguard the country’s territory and airspace. The statement also stressed that developments across the region are being monitored closely, with national security remaining the top priority.
The interception comes amid heightened regional tensions, reinforcing Türkiye’s commitment to maintaining stability while protecting its borders through rapid and coordinated military responses.
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.
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