Ankara, Turkey. Turkey’s foreign minister urged the United States to address disputes with Iran “one by one” rather than through a comprehensive deal, saying a step-by-step approach would be easier for Iranian officials to accept. He also said Tehran was ready for talks on its nuclear programme.
Call for phased talks and warning against escalation
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated that Turkey opposed any foreign intervention or attack on Iran, saying it would be “wrong to start the war again.”
“My advice always to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, then the other, then the other,” Fidan said.
He said combining disputes into a single package would make negotiations difficult and could be seen as humiliating for Iran’s leadership, adding it would be hard to explain domestically.
US warnings and recent regional tensions
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Washington had an “armada” heading toward Iran but said he hoped he would not have to use it, while renewing warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
In June, the United States struck Iran’s nuclear facilities amid heightened regional tensions with Israel over the war in Gaza. Talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes, have made little progress.
Protests in Iran and Turkey’s outreach
Iran cracked down on anti-government protests earlier this month, leading to the death and arrest of thousands of people. Iranian officials blamed the unrest on “armed terrorists and rioters” linked to the United States and Israel, while rights groups described the protests as the biggest since the 1979 revolution.
Turkey, a NATO member that shares a border with Iran, has said it reached out to both U.S. and Iranian officials. Ankara has said Tehran must be allowed to handle its domestic issues on its own, warning that any destabilisation would exceed the region’s capacity to manage at this time.
Fidan has also said Israel was still looking to attack Iran.
How do you think a step-by-step approach would affect prospects for renewed US-Iran nuclear talks?
