Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call that Turkey is ready to act as a mediator between Iran and the United States to ease tensions. The Turkish presidency said in a statement posted on the platform X that "President Erdogan stressed that Turkey is ready to take on the role of mediator between Iran and the United States to ease tensions and resolve issues." It also noted that Erdogan will also receive the Iranian foreign minister, who is visiting Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart. During a joint press conference in Istanbul on Friday, Iranian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Abbas Araghchi and Hakan Fidan presented their countries' stances on regional developments. Araghchi emphasized Tehran's readiness to resume nuclear talks with the United States but stressed that the Trump administration needs to stop threatening to attack Iran. Meanwhile, Ankara called for de-escalation and rejected the military option. Araghchi stated: "Iran is ready to return to the negotiating table if it is based on justice and mutual respect." He added: "Any talks must be fair and based on mutual respect. Iran is determined to protect itself, its stability, and the region's stability, and it will not bow to external pressure." He continued: "Just as we are ready for negotiations, we are also ready for war." On his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "We call on America and Iran to sit at the negotiating table to resolve issues."
