Turkish Foreign Minister said on Tuesday that Iran’s strategy of striking Gulf countries “without making any distinction” was “an incredibly wrong strategy,” warning that the conflict was spreading across the region and increasing risks to energy security and stability.
Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber, Fidan said the Middle East was living through “extremely critical” days following U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
“The region has suffered major pain and wars over the past 20 years,” he said, adding that the latest conflict was no longer confined to Iran.
“When we look at the effects of the war, as we had predicted earlier, it is spreading across the entire region,” he said.
U.S. President announced on Saturday the launch of Operation Epic Fury, saying it had killed Iran’s Supreme Leader and senior military officials.
Fidan said Tehran had responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel as well as Gulf states hosting U.S. assets.
“Iran knows very well how vital the energy infrastructure in key regional countries is for the global economy, stability and energy security, and it carries out its attacks accordingly,” he said.
He said Iran, when perceiving an existential threat, adopts a mindset of “if I go down, I will take the region with me,” targeting other countries, particularly energy infrastructure.
Two possible objectives
Fidan said the strikes against Iran appeared to have two possible aims: degrading its military capability or forcing regime change.
“The duration of the war, its form, its spread, and the risks it poses will all change according to these two objectives,” he said. “These are two very different concepts.”
He said regional countries were working to form a common stance and prevent further escalation.
Fidan said several Gulf states had sought to prevent the conflict, and that Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister had continued mediation efforts until shortly before the strikes.
“Despite this, Iran’s bombing of Oman as a mediator, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan — all of these places without making any distinction — is, in my view, an incredibly wrong strategy,” he said.
Such actions significantly increased regional risks, he added, and Türkiye also viewed them as wrong.
Pre-war contacts
Fidan said Türkiye had held talks with both Iran and the United States before the conflict.
He referred to a Jan. 27 phone call between President and Trump, saying Washington at the time was close to deciding on an attack.
Fidan also said he hosted Iranian Foreign Minister in Istanbul on Jan. 30.
He said Washington had sought to resolve the dispute by presenting four demands to Iran, an approach Tehran rejected. Türkiye proposed a framework under which two issues would be handled directly between Washington and Tehran, and two would be discussed with regional countries, he said.
According to Fidan, Iran later reverted to its previous negotiating format, and talks drifted amid what he described as growing pressure on Washington.
“On the one hand, there is immense pressure from Israel,” he said. “I believe that if the Iranians had better understood the decision-making pressure President Trump was facing and offered something earlier, Israel’s pressure might not have been as effective.”
Ceasefire and mediation
On ceasefire efforts, Fidan said Iran appeared more open to a truce, but persuading Washington would require a carefully structured proposal acceptable to Tehran.
“The appropriate negotiating actor must present it in a way where no one appears humiliated, no one looks like they are losing, and everyone emerges as if they have gained,” he said.
Fidan said Türkiye could serve as a mediator if needed, but argued that any proposal must first be developed in substance.
“At this point, the actor that will stop Israel is America,” he said, adding that Gulf countries, Türkiye and European states would be among those most affected by the conflict’s trajectory.
Energy and expansion risks
Fidan said Ankara had convened intensive interagency coordination meetings involving the foreign and defence ministries and the national intelligence organisation to assess evolving scenarios, and that Erdogan was being briefed frequently.
Energy markets were the first to react, he said, warning that spillover effects could include shortages in Europe and renewed inflationary pressures.
He cautioned that the war could widen if countries targeted in the strikes exercised their right to retaliate, and said regional counterparts had told him that not only U.S. bases but also energy infrastructure and civilian facilities were being hit.
“This risk of expansion frankly worries us,” he said.
Fidan said Türkiye was tracking its nationals in the region daily through the Foreign Ministry’s consular services, while heavy military air traffic had largely halted civilian flights.
He also acknowledged concerns about a potential migration wave across Türkiye’s 534-km (332-mile) border with Iran if the conflict drags on, saying preparations were in place for worst-case scenarios.
Gaza concerns
Turning to Gaza, Fidan said the broader regional war had not improved conditions in the enclave and warned that provocations could undermine fragile ceasefire arrangements there.
“Our eyes and ears are there,” he said, adding that Türkiye was working both to prevent further regional escalation and to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza, particularly aid deliveries.