Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged US President Donald Trump to make maximum use of diplomacy in dealing with Iran, as efforts continue to prevent the regional confrontation from widening further.
During a phone call between the two leaders, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue supporting steps aimed at peace and de-escalation.
The discussion also covered Gaza and wider regional security, while Erdoğan presented the recently signed Saudi Arabia-Türkiye-Pakistan defence agreement as a contribution to stability rather than a bloc directed against any particular country.
Türkiye’s role is becoming more important because Ankara has maintained communication with both Washington and Tehran while also strengthening its ties with Gulf states.
This gives it some room to operate between different sides of the regional crisis. Türkiye is not replacing Oman, Qatar or Pakistan in the existing mediation efforts, but it is becoming part of a wider diplomatic network around the US-Iran confrontation.
Its growing defence relationship with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan also means Ankara is now involved in both diplomatic and security discussions simultaneously.
The latest Erdoğan-Trump call shows how Türkiye is trying to position itself beyond simply supporting negotiations from the sidelines.
Ankara has direct access to Washington, working relations with Tehran and growing strategic ties with Gulf states that are themselves trying to avoid another round of escalation.
This combination gives Türkiye a useful position if formal talks remain difficult. The immediate aim is still to keep diplomacy alive.
Still, the wider question is whether Ankara can turn its access to different regional actors into a more permanent mediation and security role. For now, Türkiye appears to be trying to connect both sides rather than choosing one over the other.
Anoush Taimur is an International Relations graduate from DHA Suffa University, Karachi, currently based in Doha. Her research interests include Gulf politics, small-state diplomacy, Global South studies and conflict
mediation. Her work examines how states create influence through connectivity, institutions and strategic relationships. She can be reached at [email protected]
