Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on March 3 described Iran’s strategy of bombing Gulf countries “without making any distinction” as “an incredibly wrong strategy,” and stressed a change in Iran’s leadership could create a rare opportunity to halt the escalating conflict.
In an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan addressed spiraling regional tensions that erupted after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, saying the Middle East was going through “extremely critical” days.
"When we look at the effects of the war, as we had predicted earlier, it is spreading across the entire region," he said.
The Operation Epic Fury killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several top military officials. Tehran responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries that host U.S. military assets.
“Iran knows very well how vital the energy infrastructure in key regional countries is for the global economy, stability and energy security, and it carries out its attacks accordingly,” Fidan said.
Fidan noted that several Gulf countries had sought to avert the conflict, saying Qatar’s prime minister had continued mediation efforts until shortly before the initial strikes.
"They were actually acting in a way that would have benefited Iran. Despite this, Iran’s bombing of Oman as a mediator, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan — all of these places without making any distinction — is, in my view, an incredibly wrong strategy," he said.
Such actions increase regional risks and are misguided from the perspective of both Iran and friendly countries in the region, he added, saying Türkiye also considers the approach “as something that is wrong.”
Fidan referred to a Jan. 27 phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, saying Washington was then on the verge of deciding on the attack.
Following subsequent diplomatic contacts, including Fidan’s hosting of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Jan. 30, the United States sought to resolve the dispute by presenting four demands to Tehran, he said, adding that the Iranians were unwilling to accept them.
He said what appeared to be an imminent war in early February was temporarily avoided.
About possible ceasefire efforts, he said Iran appeared more open to a truce, but persuading Washington would require a carefully structured proposal acceptable to both sides.
"The appropriate negotiating actor must present it in a way where no one appears humiliated, no one looks like they are losing, and everyone emerges as if they have gained," he said.
Fidan stressed that Türkiye could serve as a mediator if needed, though any proposal must first be substantively developed.
He also said the recent leadership change in Iran could open a narrow diplomatic window at one of the region’s most volatile moments in decades.
“The new leadership in Iran may show greater flexibility at this stage,” he said, noting that decision-making authority is currently held by a temporary three-member council until a permanent leader is selected. “This could be a window of opportunity, if used wisely.”
Turkish diplomatic sources said Fidan discussed the latest regional developments with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis and Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani.
He also separately received Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, as well as European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) head Odile Renaud-Basso in Ankara, while further details were not immediately available.
