Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump is the only leader capable of exerting real pressure on Israel to halt its military actions in Gaza, arguing that Trump can act independently if he chooses.
Speaking on the On the Record programme with journalist Hadley Gamble, Fidan said Israel has repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements and that Washington holds decisive leverage. “We believe that President Trump is the only person who can really put pressure on Israel,” he said.
Fidan said Trump is not constrained by lobbying interests and has the authority to influence Israel’s actions if he wants to stop the fighting in Gaza.
Asked whether Türkiye would consider sending troops to Gaza, Fidan referred to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement that Ankara is ready to contribute to peace efforts. He said Türkiye would consider joining an international stabilisation force, but only within a broader international consensus.
Warning against intervention in Iran
Fidan also cautioned the United States against military intervention in Iran, saying further escalation would be destabilising for the region.
“I will advise my American friends: don’t make it,” he said, adding that sanctions are already placing heavy pressure on Iran’s economy and fuelling domestic unrest. He said Tehran remains open to negotiations but could prepare for worst-case scenarios if it feels cornered.
“Stability in Iran is important for all of us,” Fidan said, stressing that dialogue, not force, is the only viable path forward.
Regional outlook
On the wider region, Fidan said there were grounds for cautious optimism, particularly in Syria, and expressed hope that the Gaza ceasefire would hold. He said recent cooperation on Syria showed regional countries, the U.S. and the international community were capable of acting quickly when there was political will.
Fidan said Türkiye aims to play a constructive role in resolving regional crises and believes problems in the Middle East should be addressed primarily by regional actors, an approach he said aligns with Trump’s reluctance for the U.S. to act as a global policeman.
He also called for unity between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was unfortunate to see tensions between close regional partners.
Türkiye and the EU
On Türkiye’s EU accession, Fidan said membership would remain blocked as long as the bloc maintains what he described as an identity-based approach toward Türkiye. He argued that Europe would be stronger had Türkiye joined earlier and suggested Brexit might not have happened under a more inclusive EU.
Shift in U.S. policy toward Türkiye
Fidan welcomed what he described as a policy correction by the Trump administration regarding cooperation with the PKK, stressing that a NATO ally should not support a group hostile to another NATO member.
He reiterated Türkiye’s support for equal constitutional citizenship for all Syrians, including Kurds, and said regional cooperation on Gaza and Syria reflected growing goodwill, particularly between Türkiye and Arab countries.
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