Erdoğan speaks to Trump twice in 24 hours on Mideast tensions

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has voiced Ankara’s readiness to help mediate a resolution to the Iranian nuclear dispute during his second phone call in 24 hours with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Erdoğan told Trump on June 15 that diplomacy remains the only viable solution to the nuclear standoff and said Türkiye is prepared to assume a facilitative role.

His remarks came as Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian military and nuclear facilities, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran and canceling a sixth round of nuclear talks with the U.S.

“The spiral of violence arising from Israel's attacks on Iran has caused irreparable economic and civilian damage,” Erdoğan said, urging swift international action to prevent further escalation. He welcomed Trump’s recent comments in favor of ending the war.

Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier on June 15 that "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal," and said multiple calls and meetings were underway in a bid to secure peace.

Tensions spiked last week after Israeli forces launched strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure and nuclear sites, reportedly killing several top commanders and scientists. The attacks drew immediate retaliation from Iran, marking the most serious escalation between the two adversaries in recent years.

The U.S. has demanded Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities, which Western powers say could be used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Erdoğan also held calls with several regional and international leaders over the weekend, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. In those calls, he warned of the grave risks the conflict poses to regional stability.

In a separate phone conversation with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Erdoğan said the Middle East “can never tolerate a new war” and labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “a global stability and security problem.”

Erdoğan also criticized the international community's silence on the ongoing war in Gaza during talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying global inaction had “emboldened Israel.”

As tensions persisted, Erdoğan chaired a high-level security summit on June 14 at the presidential complex in Ankara. The meeting focused on Israel’s military campaign against Iran and its wider implications for global security.

Officials including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Ömer Çelik attended the session.