'Wrong to start war again': Turkish foreign minister warns against US attack on Iran

ISTANBUL

Türkiye's foreign minister warned that a US attack on Iran would be "wrong," urging Washington and Tehran to resolve their disputes through diplomacy.

In an interview with Al Jazeera’s Rasul Serdar Atas, Hakan Fidan called for regional cooperation as the US deploys military assets in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran. “It’s wrong to start the war again.”

Despite escalating rhetoric between the two nations, Fidan underlined that a diplomatic resolution remains achievable. "Iran is ready to negotiate a nuclear file again," Fidan said.

The Turkish diplomat advised US officials to address issues with Iran incrementally rather than seeking a comprehensive agreement.

"My advice always to the American friends, close the files one by one with Iran. Start with nuclear, close it, then the others," he said. "If you put them as a package, all of them, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and to really process it and to go through this."

“And sometimes, it might seem humiliating for them. It will be very difficult to explain to not only themselves, but with the leadership.”

He also said Iran could occupy a "perfect place" in the regional order but must build trust with neighboring countries.

"They (Iranians) need to create trust in the region," he said. "They need to have attention to how they are perceived by the regional countries, because they are not going anywhere; we are not going anywhere."

Fidan emphasized that despite different ideologies and sects, regional nations must cooperate within the nation-state system.