Turkiye had offered to mediate between the sides before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began 12 days \u200cago
\n ankara
\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan \u200csaid on Wednesday that the war in Iran must be stopped before the whole Middle East region is \u201cthrown into the fire\u201d, adding that diplomacy must be given a chance.
\nNATO air defences have in the last week intercepted two \u200bIranian missiles headed toward southern Turkiye, where there are air and radar bases used \u200bby NATO and the United States, and the alliance has since beefed up defences there.
\n\u201cThis war must be stopped before it grows and the region as a whole \u200bis thrown into the fire. If diplomacy is given a chance, it is very possible to \u200bachieve this,\u201d Erdogan told lawmakers in parliament.
\n\u201cIn light of the sensitivity of the period we are in, we are speaking very carefully. We are acting with caution to protect Turkiye from the fire that is surrounding \u200bit,\u201d he said, adding that Ankara was engaged with all sides in seeking an end to \u200bthe war.
\nTurkiye had offered to mediate between the sides before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began 12 days \u200cago. Since then, Erdogan has repeatedly called for diplomacy to end the conflict, while also warning that Turkiye would respond to any threats to its national security.
\nOzgur Ozel, chairman of Turkiye\u2019s main opposition Republican People\u2019s Party (CHP) told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that Erdogan had avoided criticising US President \u200bDonald Trump by name \u200bin order to maintain their good personal rapport, adding that this had only emboldened the US leader.
\nAnkara\u2019s \u201cshy silence regarding Trump\u2019s actions, and its failure to take a \u200bstance against that disproportionate force, is not neutrality,\u201d Ozel said, adding that \u200bthe US was not taking Turkish sensitivities into account during the conflict.
\nErdogan has criticised US, Israeli and Iranian actions and has called the US-Israeli air campaign a \u201cclear violation\u201d of international law. But in his comments, like many other world leaders, he \u200bhas refrained from mentioning Trump by name. Erdogan\u2019s good \u200bpersonal ties with Trump have helped ease bilateral US-Turkish tensions over the last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkiye had offered to mediate between the sides before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began 12 days \u200cago ankara Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan \u200csaid on Wednesday that the war in Iran must be stopped before the whole Middle East region is \u201cthrown into the fire\u201d, adding that diplomacy must be given a chance. NATO […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-536140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n