Erdogan Pushes Diplomacy Amid Escalating Tensions in Middle East

(MENAFN) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched an intensive diplomatic blitz Sunday, working the phones with a sweeping lineup of world leaders—from Washington to Brussels—as the Middle East edges closer to full-scale regional war following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory assault on Gulf states.

According to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, Erdogan connected directly with US President Donald Trump, with the two leaders reviewing the rapidly deteriorating situation across Iran and the Gulf region.

In a separate call, Erdogan reached out to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, extending personal well-wishes in the wake of attacks on Qatar while receiving a firsthand briefing on conditions on the ground there.

The Turkish president also conveyed his condolences to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over strikes that struck their respective nations, using both conversations to assess the broader regional outlook.

His exchange with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carried a particularly urgent tone. Erdogan delivered a direct warning: without meaningful outside intervention, the conflict risks metastasizing into a crisis with catastrophic consequences for both regional and global security. He emphasized that Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have invested heavily in dialogue-based conflict resolution and that diplomacy remains the only rational path forward.

Erdogan also expressed his sorrow to Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah over the attacks sustained by Kuwait, reaffirming Ankara’s solidarity with its Gulf partners.

In a final high-profile call, Erdogan spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, covering both the Iranian strikes and the cascading fallout. He reiterated Ankara’s standing call for all parties to step back from the brink and return to the negotiating table, while stressing that tight Turkish-EU coordination throughout this crisis is not optional—it is essential.

The diplomatic flurry follows Saturday’s large-scale US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which claimed the lives of several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has since retaliated with drone and missile barrages aimed at Gulf nations hosting American military assets. The Pentagon has confirmed three US service members killed and five others critically wounded—signaling that the human cost for Washington is already mounting.

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