Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Turkey is prepared to serve as a facilitator to help end the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, according to a statement from Erdoğan’s office.
“Turkey is ready to play a facilitating role for the immediate end of the conflict and return to nuclear negotiations,” Erdoğan said during the call, as regional tensions continued to mount following a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks.
Erdoğan has stepped up diplomatic outreach in recent days, warning that Israel’s actions risk dragging the entire region into “disaster.” Over the weekend he had multiple calls with regional and international leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Turkey has previously hosted international peace talks, including negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.
Erdoğan has sharply criticized Israel’s military campaign, describing it as “thuggery” and accusing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining regional and global stability.