Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Turkey is calling on the United States and Iran to return to the negotiating table to resolve disputed issues, stressing that Ankara opposes foreign interference in Iran, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
At a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Fidan said it was important for talks between Washington and Tehran on Iran's nuclear program to be restarted to ease tensions in the region.
For his part, Araghchi said Iran was ready to resume talks with the United States, but the talks must be “fair and impartial“.
Araghchi, who described his talks with Fidan in Istanbul as “good and fruitful“, adding that Tehran is ready to engage with countries in the region to promote stability and peace.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, in which he said Turkey was ready to play a mediating role to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Turkish presidency.
“President Erdogan stressed that Turkey was ready to assume the role of a mediator between Iran and the United States to reduce tensions and resolve problems“, the statement said, adding that Erdogan would also talk today with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
In recent days, Washington has sent additional military forces to the Middle East, which has heightened concerns about a possible US strike against Iran, even though US President Donald Trump has signaled that he is open to talks with Tehran.