Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar are trying to organise a meeting in Ankara between White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and top Iranian officials, according to reports in the U.S. and Turkish media.
All three countries previously worked with the U.S. administration to secure a shaky ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and are now reportedly trying to facilitate talks aimed at averting another conflict between the United States and Iran.
The reported diplomatic push comes amid a massive U.S. military build-up in the region that has prompted fears of an imminent attack on Iran and Iranian reprisals against U.S. military targets.
Over the weekend, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his Egyptian counterpart, to discuss ways of resolving the standoff diplomatically.
Hope for negotiations
During the call, al-Sisi reiterated Cairo’s opposition to further military escalation, while also affirming his country’s hope of bringing the two adversaries back to the negotiating table, according to Egyptian press reports.
Last month, al-Sisi stressed the importance of finding a diplomatic solution at a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Last Friday, Pezeshkian also spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed Ankara’s readiness to facilitate talks between Tehran and Washington.
On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Istanbul for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, to discuss ways of averting another regional conflict.
Opposition to military force
At a joint press conference, Fidan said Ankara was ready to support a diplomatic solution, while also stressing Türkiye’s opposition to any foreign military intervention in Iran.
Araghchi, for his part, said Tehran was prepared to resume negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme, but rejected the notion of holding talks while under the threat of a U.S. attack.
He also said Tehran’s ballistic missile capability, unlike its nuclear programme, would not be subject to negotiations.
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Comments by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting that Israel had a biblical right to much of the Middle East drew condemnation over the weekend from countries across the region, which described the remarks as “dangerous and inflammatory”.
Islamic State claimed two attacks on Syrian army personnel on Saturday (22 February), saying they marked the start of a new phase of operations against the country’s leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Türkiye has signalled readiness to contribute to a proposed Gaza stabilisation force during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Thursday (19 February), but according to former Turkish diplomat Mehmet Öğütçü, the decisive factor will be whether Israel and the United States agree on Ankara’s role.
Türkiye is prepared to contribute troops to a proposed international stabilisation force for Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say he would back any UK government plan to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, a statement shared by Starmer's office said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will halt the collection of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on Tuesday (24 February), more than three days after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the duties unlawful.
The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin’s F-35, saying the stealth aircraft would ensure compatibility with Europe’s top-tier air forces.
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European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
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