Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Iran on Wednesday, as tensions simmer over Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the two leaders discussed regional and international developments and matters of mutual interest. They agreed to maintain close coordination on shared priorities.
Dar also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, emphasising the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in the region. Both officials pledged to continue close engagement and coordination between their countries.
The calls came a day after US President Donald Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 that the United States would have to do “something very tough” if a deal is not reached with Iran.
“Either we reach a deal or we’ll have to do something very tough,” the broadcaster quoted Trump as saying.
Trump has said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, Axios and Channel 12 reported, amid tensions between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear programme and its recent crackdown on protesters.
So far, Iran has rejected expanding the scope of its talks with the US beyond the nuclear issue. Washington, however, wants Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and its support for regional militant groups included in the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump are set to meet in Washington today, their sixth meeting in the United States since Trump returned to office a year ago.
“On this trip we will discuss a range of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course, first and foremost, the negotiations with Iran,” Netanyahu said in a video statement before his departure. “I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations.”
In an earlier statement, Netanyahu’s office said he would highlight Israel’s concerns over Iran’s missile arsenal, not just its nuclear programme.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson warned that Netanyahu’s visit would have a “destructive” influence on diplomacy that is “detrimental to the region”.
“Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing.
“The Zionist regime has repeatedly, as a saboteur, shown that it opposes any diplomatic process in our region that leads to peace.”
The visit comes after Iran and the United States resumed negotiations in Oman on Friday for the first time since the 12-day Iran-Israel war last June, which was briefly joined by the US military.