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.
Azerbaijan's education system is showing some of its strongest signs of progress in years, with the latest ...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
At least five people have died and more than 80 others remain unaccounted for after a passenger ferry caught fi...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
At least five people have died and more than 80 others remain unaccounted for after a passenger ferry caught fire off the western Philippines, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation involving the coast guard, government agencies and local fishing communities.
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's aircraft was nearly struck by a drone while departing Moldova on its way to Norway, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, warning that escalating drone warfare and attacks on civilian infrastructure are deepening the country's already devastating humanitarian crisis.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment