Fidan Warns Israel Is Seeking an Opportunity to Strike Iran, Flags Risks to Regional and Alliance Stability
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there are clear signs that Israel is seeking an opportunity to attack Iran, while outlining Ankara’s push for a broad regional alliance aimed at reducing polarisation and limiting external intervention.
Speaking in a live television interview, Fidan warned that regional tensions are entering a more volatile phase, shaped not only by military calculations but also by domestic pressures.
“There are clear signs that Israel is seeking an opportunity to attack Iran,” Fidan said, adding that there is significant public reaction inside Iran to the economic hardship faced by the population.
Regional alliance to reduce bloc politics
Fidan said Türkiye supports the formation of a broad-based regional alliance, even if it initially begins with a smaller core group, arguing that the region needs a new starting point to counter entrenched bloc politics.
He said the objective is to reduce polarisation rather than deepen camps, adding that wider participation would strengthen the stabilising effect over time.
Fidan also said the Peace Council framework could expand, with six or seven additional countries potentially joining, pushing total participation toward the 25–30 range. He added that Türkiye would continue efforts to advance the Gaza agenda within this structure.
Gaza, resistance, and conditional logic
Addressing Gaza-related diplomacy, Fidan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed Türkiye’s involvement in Gaza governance and stabilisation initiatives, but stressed that Ankara would continue its efforts regardless.
When asked about Hamas, Fidan said he raises the same conditional questions with Western counterparts, asking whether Hamas would disarm, whether Israel would withdraw in return, and whether the international community could guarantee that attacks would not resume. He argued that such issues should be addressed through reciprocal conditions rather than one-sided demands.
US policy overlap and Syria
Fidan said the United States’ emerging regional approach overlaps with Türkiye’s policy, particularly Washington’s preference to limit direct involvement and encourage regional actors to assume responsibility in a coordinated manner.
He added that Türkiye’s stance on combating Islamic State, preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, and protecting ethnic and religious communities leaves the US with no additional rationale for a long-term presence.
On Syria, Fidan said the four-day ceasefire between the Syrian government and the YPG, which took effect on January 20, could be extended briefly due to the ongoing transfer of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq. He noted that rapid advances against the YPG did not come as a surprise and were in line with prior assessments.
Fidan also said he remains in close and continuous contact with Tom Barrack, a US special envoy and close ally of former President Donald Trump, amid evolving regional dynamics.
Wider global context and alliance risks
Touching briefly on the Russia–Ukraine war, Fidan said negotiations have advanced on paper, but the deadlock persists as long as the territorial question remains unresolved.
Addressing the debate over Greenland, Fidan said former US President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring the territory reflects a long-standing American strategic ambition, but warned it could carry serious risks for NATO cohesion.
He said that if such an approach were pursued, a situation could emerge in which one NATO member is seen as laying claim to the territory of another, effectively meaning the fragmentation of the alliance, since Greenland is internationally defined as Danish territory.