Turkish President Erdogan condemns Israeli attacks on Iran, says Netanyahu seeks to derail nuclear diplomacy

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran as violations of international law and warned they risk igniting the region, during a phone call with Iranian President Mesoud Pezeshkian amid rising tensions between the two countries.

According to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, the leaders discussed the Israel-Iran conflict along with broader regional and global issues.

Erdogan expressed condolences for the lives lost in the Israeli strikes and said the attacks are part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to sabotage nuclear negotiations.

He also noted that Israel of attempting to distract the international community from the genocide in Gaza.

The Turkish president said Ankara is closely monitoring reports of a potential nuclear leak at Iran’s Natanz facility, and reaffirmed that diplomacy is the only viable path forward on nuclear issues.​​​​​

• Mesoud Pezeshkian
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan