Türkiye sees flurry of diplomatic activity as region braces for possible conflict

Over the past 24 hours, Türkiye has engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity, as regional tensions continue to mount amid fears of an imminent U.S. attack on Iran.

On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held closed-door talks with the U.S. ambassador Tom Barrack. Along with serving as ambassador to Türkiye, Barrack also serves as Washington’s special envoy to Syria.

The Foreign Ministry has not released any details about the closed-door discussions, which were held in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

On the same day, Fidan spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart,  Abbas Araghchi.

According to Turkish state media, the two men discussed the latest developments in Iran, which has been rocked in recent weeks by increasingly violent anti-government protests.

On Wednesday, Fidan is slated to visit the United Arab Emirates, according to the foreign ministry, which provided no further details about the visit.

The stepped-up pace of Turkish diplomatic activity comes amid mounting regional tensions, including recent outbreaks of violence in Syria and speculation that the United States may be preparing a attack on Iran.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Iranian ‘patriots’ – referring to anti-government protesters – to take over Iran’s state institutions, adding that help was ‘on the way’.

Asked by reporters what form such assistance might take, Trump declined to elaborate.

Tehran, for its part, has accused the U.S. president of inciting violence and encouraging political destabilisation.

For the past two weeks, Iranian authorities have sought to contain a wave of increasingly violent protests and riots in different parts of the country.

According to some Western rights groups, more than 500 people have been killed in Iran since the unrest began in late December.

But such reports have been difficult to verify, especially after Tehran cut internet services nationwide last week.

Iran has blamed foreign actors, especially the United States and Israel, for instigating armed attacks on security personnel and civilian infrastructure.

According to Tehran, scores of Iranian security personnel have been killed in the ongoing unrest.

Türkiye, meanwhile, has warned that foreign military intervention in Iran could further destabilise the already volatile region, saying that differences between Tehran and Washington should be resolved through negotiations.

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