Erdoğan warns region 'can not tolerate a new war'

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned on June 15 that the Middle East "can never tolerate a new war" as Iran and Israel exchanged cross-border attacks and fears of a broader conflict grew.

In a phone conversation with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Erdoğan said the conflict poses “a great risk to regional security” and denounced the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a global stability and security problem.”

"President Erdoğan stated during the meeting that ... the region can never tolerate a new war," said a readout from the Turkish presidency.

The remarks came a day after Erdoğan held a flurry of phone calls with key regional and international leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During his call with Pezeshkian, Erdoğan strongly condemned what he described as Israel’s “unlawful attacks” on Iran and offered condolences for lives lost. He said the attacks were a violation of international law and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to derail Iran's nuclear negotiation process.

The attacks persisted despite global calls for de-escalation, with Iran scrapping its latest nuclear talks with the United States, saying it was "meaningless" to negotiate while under fire from Israel.

In his call with Trump, Erdoğan said “the nuclear negotiations is the only way to find a solution” to the crisis. According to Türkiye's Communications Directorate, Erdoğan expressed his administration's support for the U.S. stance favoring the continuation of talks and said Ankara was ready to do its part to prevent an uncontrollable escalation.

Trump has earlier expressed full support for Israel's actions while warning Iran that it can only avoid further destruction by agreeing to a new nuclear deal.

The Turkish president also held phone conversations with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa and warned that Israel’s aggressive actions threaten the entire region. He urged Syria to avoid becoming entangled in the conflict and called for heightened vigilance against terror groups and radical organizations.

In a separate call with the Saudi crown prince, Erdoğan said attacks that led to a nuclear leak in Iran highlighted Israel’s “irresponsible threat to regional and global security.” He warned that the region could not afford another crisis and said a major war would likely unleash irregular migration waves across the Middle East.

Erdoğan reiterated his view that only ongoing negotiations can resolve the nuclear dispute and avoid further chaos.

In additional calls with Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Erdoğan criticized international silence on the war in Gaza, saying the "world’s inaction had emboldened Israel."

As tensions persisted, Erdoğan chaired a high-level security summit 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.

"Developments regarding Israel’s increasingly widespread aggression in the region, diplomatic efforts to end the conflicts, the effects of the attacks on global and regional security and the measures to be taken and Türkiye's preparations for possible developments" were evaluated at the meeting, according to an official statement.

Separately, Fidan held phone calls with his Azerbaijani and Egyptian counterparts, discussing Israel’s attack on Iran and other regional issues.