Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program and, in his typically self-aggrandizing manner, offered his “state wisdom and deep experience” to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“We have clearly conveyed to all our counterparts that we, as Turkey, are ready to do whatever is required of us, including facilitating the process,” Erdogan said in a televised address following a cabinet meeting.
Erdogan assured his countrymen that he would do everything possible to keep Turkey out of the conflict.
“Our government and alliance are the foundation and guarantee of Türkiye’s independence and future during this difficult period in our region. The trust of 86 million people is in safe and capable hands,” he said.
“Just as we have overcome many difficulties with honor in the past, we will, God willing, keep our country away from the negative effects of the crises in our region. Unlike some, we are not interested in pouring gasoline on the fire, but in extinguishing it before it grows any further,” he declared.
Having said that, Erdogan proceeded to pour gasoline on the fire by accusing Israel and its Western allies of concocting excuses for military action against Iran.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the attack, carried out under the pretext of targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, actually has very broad and insidious aims,” he said.
“From the very beginning, we have argued that discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program should be conducted at the negotiating table, and we remain at the same point today,” he insisted.
Erdogan said he “drew attention to the threats and dangers posed to our entire region by Israel’s increasingly rogue aggression” in his telephone conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Israel, which attacked Iran with the unlimited support of the West, destroyed Gaza and bullied every country in the region, is not aware of what it is doing,” Erdogan huffed.
“With every act of oppression, every drop of blood shed, and every crime against humanity it commits, Israel is gradually putting its own existence and the future of its society at risk,” he threatened.
According to Erdogan’s office, he was particularly aggressive about blaming Israel for all of the Middle East’s tensions during his phone call with Russia’s Putin on Monday.
Erdogan reportedly told Putin the “lawless attitude” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “poses a clear threat to the international system.”
“The spiral of violence that began with Israel’s attacks on Iran has put the security of the entire region at risk,” Erdogan said.
Putin responded by joining Erdogan in condemning Israel’s “acts of force” against the country that has provided Russia with thousands of combat drones for its invasion of Ukraine.
Erdogan’s office said that during his call on Monday with Iran’s Pezeshkian, the Turkish president offered himself as an intermediary to get nuclear negotiations with the United States back on track.
The Turkish president, always looking for a chance to portray himself as the strongarm champion of the Islamic world, expressed frustration that other Muslim states like Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia have not rallied to Iran’s defense. He also said those states have not done enough for the Palestinians.
On the other hand, Erdogan signaled at least mild approval of President Donald Trump for repeatedly saying that “Iran and Israel should make a deal.”
Erdogan’s office said he stressed the “irreparable economic and civilian damage” caused by Israel’s airstrikes on Iran during his call with Trump.
American Enterprise Institute (AEI) senior fellow Michael Rubin suggested on Sunday that Erdogan has good reasons to feel nervous after watching Israel shred Iran’s defenses and strike directly at its nuclear weapons program:
Erdogan, like the Iranian supreme leaders, takes public pride in his country’s domestic military industry. And Turkey, like Iran just a few decades ago, now builds a nuclear plant in an earthquake zone ostensibly to generate electricity but also likely to provide cover for a more covert nuclear program. Formal designation or not, Turkey, like Iran before it, is also acting as a state sponsor of terror. Erdogan has been unapologetic about his support for Hamas, and has even allowed senior Hamas operatives to plan attacks on the Jewish state from their Turkish safe haven.
More recently and quietly, Erdogan’s regime has helped Hezbollah launder money to continue its terror. In short, as the Islamic Republic’s demise threatens to orphan Hamas and Hezbollah, Erdogan is stepping in to become their foster parent. Erdogan’s [castigating] of Jews and the Jewish state up to and including calls for Israel’s annihilation also parallel Khomeini and Khamenei’s calls to wipe Israel off the face of the map.
Rubin advised President Trump to reconsider “embracing, and even aiding, Erdogan even as he makes his malign ambitions for the region clear.” He also said the flip side of Erdogan relying on NATO to protect him from hypothetical Israeli action should be NATO pushing Turkey very hard to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The Times of Israel highlighted another of Erdogan’s fears by citing his warning on Saturday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that a “devastating war” between Iran and Israel could “create waves of irregular migration towards all the countries in the region.”
Turkey absorbed the majority of the refugees who fled the Syrian civil war in the 2010s, and is understandably reluctant to repeat that experience with Iranians.
Under current policies, Iranians are allowed to enter Turkey without visas and remain for up to 90 days as tourists. Some extraordinarily large groups of “Iranian tourists” have begun appearing in Turkey, but Turkish officials disputed warnings on social media that a massive wave of displaced Iranians is on the way.
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