Turkey's top diplomat Hakan Fidan told listeners in Doha on Thursday that Ankara is conveying what he described as "friendly" advice to Iran aimed at stopping the expansion of its war with the United States and Israel across the Middle East region.
Fidan said Iran's attacks on countries in the region are "unacceptable." While he accepted Israel as the principal actor in the broader conflict, he also placed an onus on Tehran, saying it holds a "historic responsibility" to refrain from striking other states.
During his remarks, the foreign minister said Turkey is keeping lines of communication open with both Washington and Tehran to better understand their respective positions on the conflict. He added that Ankara's diplomatic work to bring an end to the war would continue.
Fidan also disclosed that the single topic on the agenda at talks held in Riyadh on Wednesday was the prevention of further Iranian attacks on countries in the region. He framed that discussion as part of Ankara's ongoing effort to reduce the risk of the conflict spreading beyond its current theaters.
The comments in Doha underscore Turkey's stated role as an intermediary attempting to maintain contact with the parties involved. Fidan's language combined a recognition of Israel's central role in the hostilities with an appeal to Iran's restraint, stressing both the unacceptability of attacks on regional neighbors and Iran's responsibility not to widen the conflict.
Turkey's statement described its diplomatic posture as active engagement - maintaining contacts with the capitals involved and pursuing avenues aimed at de-escalation. The Riyadh meeting earlier in the week was presented as narrowly focused on the specific objective of preventing attacks by Iran on other countries.
Fidan's public remarks in Doha and the reported agenda in Riyadh make clear that Ankara is prioritizing efforts to limit the geographic spread of the war and is pursuing dialogue with key actors in pursuit of that aim.