Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday warned Israel against sabotaging the Pakistan-mediated peace process between the United States and Iran, praising Islamabad’s mediation efforts while urging all parties to preserve the fragile agreement through diplomacy.
Erdoğan's remarks at joint press conference
Erdoğan made the remarks in Istanbul at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose administration helped broker the first high-level direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran in decades following the April 8 ceasefire. The diplomatic process culminated last month in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, an interim framework of peace that provides a 60-day period for the US and Iran to reach a negotiated settlement.
“We are closely monitoring the Israeli administration’s provocations aimed at sabotaging the agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding,” Erdoğan said during the news conference. “The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to once again engulf our region in the smell of gunpowder and blood,” he said, adding that Türkiye would continue supporting efforts to reduce tensions and resolve disputes through diplomatic means.
Details of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed following weeks of Pakistan-mediated diplomacy. One of the principal sticking points in the negotiations was Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon. Iranian officials maintained that any lasting regional settlement should also include a ceasefire in Lebanon, though Israeli strikes have continued despite the broader US-Iran diplomatic process, raising concerns about the durability of the agreement.
Impact on regional stability
Erdoğan's warning underscores the fragile nature of the US-Iran peace process, with Israel's actions potentially derailing the 60-day interim framework. The Pakistani mediation has been pivotal in bringing the two sides to the table, but ongoing hostilities in Lebanon and Israeli provocations threaten to undermine the progress made.
