Türkiye ready to help de-escalate Israel-Iran conflict, Erdoğan tells Pezeshkian
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, discussing the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as broader regional and global issues.
During the call, Erdoğan said Türkiye is ready to play a facilitating role to help de-escalate the conflict and support a return to nuclear negotiations, according to the Türkiye's Communications Directorate said.
The Turkish leader noted that he has been in contact with various leaders amid the ongoing conflict.
Erdoğan also emphasized the importance Ankara places on preserving peace and stability in the region.
Regional tension has escalated since Friday after Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.
Israeli authorities said that at least 24 people were killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday.
Iran, for its part, said that at least 224 people were killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.
Erdoğan also 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.
