Erdogan urges Trump to pursue talks with Iran, offers support

ANKARA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call to pursue talks with Iran to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, and offered Ankara's support for peace efforts, the Turkish presidency said on Tuesday. Turkey, which has NATO's second-largest army and borders Iran, has repeatedly called for an end to the war. It has…

al-monitor.com ·1h ago

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged US President Donald Trump in a phone call to pursue talks with Iran to de-escalate tensions between the two countries. Erdogan offered Ankara's support for peace efforts, according to the Turkish presidency.

The call came amid rising tensions between the US and Iran. Trump has demanded Iran surrender and claimed to have a backchannel with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The US-Iran memorandum of understanding meant to de-escalate hostilities lapsed without renewal.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that an agreement has been elusive due to security complexities and the "obstructionist behavior of destructive elements", adding that the US must remove its blockade. According to Al-Monitor, Turkey has repeatedly called for an end to the war and has maintained close contact with the US, Iran, and mediators such as Pakistan and Qatar.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, FXStreet, The Korea Times, The Indian Express, Jerusalem Post — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.