Turkey’s President Urges Swift Diplomacy to End Iran‑US War

Updated 6 min 8 sec ago

November 12, 2026 14:37

ANTALYA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that diplomacy must resume “without further delay” to halt the ongoing US‑Iran war, following talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a UN climate conference in Antalya.

During the meeting, Erdogan emphasized that “the importance of getting to the negotiating table without further delay” and affirmed Turkey’s continued support for peace‑building efforts in the region.

“Common ground for agreement must be strengthened and diplomacy given a chance,” he stated, expressing hope that the conflict with the United States “would end as soon as possible.”

The hostilities began on February 28 when US‑Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, and the militant groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also joined the fighting.

In a speech to the UN climate summit on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of severe environmental damage during their assaults on the Islamic republic.

“The recent criminal and illegal aggression against Iran by America and the Zionist regime…has inflicted severe damage on the environment, releasing massive quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” he said.

Diplomatic initiatives led by Qatar and Pakistan have been seeking to negotiate an end to the war.

Tehran is demanding that Washington unfreeze assets and lift sanctions in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial energy passage it has blockaded since the conflict began.

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