Minister Fidan: We are concerned about the risk of the war spreading

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made assessments regarding the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran and the latest situation in the region during a live broadcast he attended on television.

Minister Fidan said, "The war is not limited to Iran; it is spreading to the entire region. Iran's strategy has been to attack the energy infrastructure of countries in the region. Both the duration and the nature of the war could change. We are doing our work to prevent the war from getting worse. The Gulf countries tried very hard to prevent the war from breaking out. Efforts continued until 1 hour before the attack. I think it is a very wrong strategy for Iran to attack these countries without discrimination. Iran pursued an understanding of 'If I am going to sink, I will sink the countries in the region as well'."

"The actor that will stop Israel is America"

Stating that they prevented the war for a while on January 30, Minister Fidan said, "We prevented the war for a while on January 30. We drew up a negotiation architecture for the Americans and the Iranians. If the negotiations had continued, a result could have been reached. Israel put tremendous pressure on the US. As of February 28, the war began.

We are in a period of intense coordination activity between institutions. We are putting all scenarios regarding ourselves on the table; we are monitoring all crisis scenarios. The front of the war could expand on both sides. In the attacks, not only military bases but also energy infrastructures are being targeted. We are concerned about the risk of the war spreading. In particular, certain issues need to be clearly explained to the US. The actor that will stop Israel is America. Because according to possible scenarios, the countries that will be affected are the Gulf states, Turkey, and European countries. Iran's new leadership could be an opportunity. Perhaps the new leadership in Iran will show the will to stop the war. Because the prolongation of the war causes more damage than any concession that might be made," he said.

"Our priority is to stop the war"

Emphasizing that they are monitoring the situation of citizens in the war zone, Minister Fidan said, "We are following the situation of our citizens moment by moment. Our ambassadors in the Gulf are on alert. There are difficulties in the return of our citizens who went to the Gulf for short periods. There is very heavy air traffic in the region. There are missiles that Iran has sent to the Gulf countries. There are slower-moving drones. In other words, the airspace is completely covered with armed drones and aircraft. I think that as this operational intensity decreases, the traffic will open up. Turkey is a source of hope in our region even in this difficult period. Our policy has protected us from troubles. Our priority is to stop the war."