President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday in İstanbul, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications said, as Iran signaled it is open to negotiations with the US while warning it will not negotiate under military threats.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the meeting. No further details were provided.
The Erdoğan meeting came hours after Araghchi had talks with Fidan and spoke to reporters in İstanbul, where he said Iran was ready for “fair” negotiations with Washington but that no talks were scheduled and that Iran’s missile program would not be on the table.
The messages landed as Washington increased military deployments to the region and President Donald Trump publicly pressed Tehran to accept a deal over its nuclear program.
Regional governments, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, have urged restraint, warning that a clash could spread quickly across the Gulf and disrupt energy flows.
Turkey has positioned itself as a potential go between, with Fidan publicly opposing any military action against Iran and saying Ankara is in contact with both sides.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Araghchi also ruled out negotiations over Iran’s ballistic missiles, presenting that as a red line even if nuclear talks resume.
The meeting added to a rapid series of contacts at a moment when Turkey is trying to manage spillover risks on its borders and in the region while keeping channels open with Tehran and Washington.