Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged an “immediate end” to the war between Iran and the United States, calling for diplomacy to resume without further delay after talks with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the UN COP31 climate conference in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.
During the meeting, Erdogan stressed the importance of returning to the negotiating table and said Türkiye would continue supporting efforts to secure peace.
“Common ground for agreement must be strengthened and diplomacy given a chance,” he said, expressing hope that the conflict would end as soon as possible.
Erdogan also offered continued support for peace initiatives alongside regional countries, emphasising the need for stability.
War fuels environmental concerns
The war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting countries across the region, while groups backed by Tehran in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also entered the conflict.
Addressing the COP31 summit on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of causing severe environmental damage during their attacks on Iran.
“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 sought to negotiate an end to the war.
Tehran wants Washington to accept a series of demands, including unfreezing Iranian assets and lifting sanctions, in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route that Iran has blockaded since the conflict began.
