Turkey is working to prevent tensions between the United States and Iran from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict, President Tayyip Erdogan said, as the two adversaries remain at odds over whether negotiations should cover Tehran\u2019s missile programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdogan made the comments to reporters on a return flight from a visit to Egypt, according to a transcript shared by his office on Thursday. He said Ankara was doing its best to avoid escalation and suggested that talks at the level of the US and Iranian leadership could be helpful, ahead of lower-level nuclear negotiations expected to take place in Oman on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States and Iran have signalled that disagreements over the scope of talks are threatening to derail diplomacy. Washington has said it wants negotiations to include Iran\u2019s missile arsenal, while Tehran has indicated it is prepared to discuss only its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The standoff has been accompanied by sharper rhetoric, including warnings of potential airstrikes, raising concerns among regional governments about the risk of miscalculation and a broader confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials from both sides have said the venue for the talks was shifted to Muscat after an earlier plan that had involved Istanbul. The change followed uncertainty about whether the meeting would go ahead as planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdogan has sought to position Turkey as a stabilising actor and a potential facilitator in regional diplomacy, while maintaining channels with Washington and expanding Ankara\u2019s influence across the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US President Donald Trump has publicly warned Iran\u2019s leadership in recent days. Asked whether Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be concerned, Trump said he \u201cshould be very worried,\u201d while also indicating that negotiations were under way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remarks contributed to uncertainty over the prospects for a deal as both sides continued to draw red lines on what would be discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Erdogan\u2019s comments underline the sensitivity of the moment as the Oman talks approach, with countries in the region watching for signs of whether diplomacy can reduce tensions or whether the dispute over missiles and the agenda will deepen the confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey has said it will continue efforts to prevent escalation, as the risk of renewed conflict remains tied to whether the talks proceed and whether the two sides can agree on a framework for further negotiations.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkey is working to prevent tensions between the United States and Iran from tipping the Middle East into a new conflict, President Tayyip Erdogan said, as the two adversaries remain at odds over whether negotiations should cover Tehran\u2019s missile programme. Erdogan made the comments to reporters on a return flight from a visit to Egypt, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n