Foreign Ministers of Eight Nations Warn Washington Against Fresh Strikes on Iran, Call for Diplomacy

Foreign ministers of eight countries have called on Washington and Tehran to exercise maximum restraint, warning that any further military escalation in the region will produce only losers.

The meeting was held at a hotel in Istanbul between the R4 group comprising Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt, and the E3 group consisting of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, plus Italy, and was chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Al Jazeera correspondent Sinem Kosoglu reported from Istanbul that the meeting represented an "unprecedented" attempt to discuss the frameworks of regional conflicts and their possible solutions.

Fidan announced after the meeting that none of the participating countries supports launching a new military intervention or delivering additional strikes against Iran, stressing that such a step would only fan tensions and broaden the scope of conflict, and that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way to end the war. He pointed out that the participating countries "all have different national interests, particularly regarding the Gulf crisis," but that what is happening in the Gulf "affects all parts of the world."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that escalation between Iran and the United States "will only produce losers and will undoubtedly have serious repercussions on hydrocarbon prices," adding that the eight-nation group will demand "maximum restraint" from both parties because they cannot afford new escalation in the region. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed that the goal is "to de-escalate and ensure freedom of navigation," noting that the crisis "cannot be solved from a purely military perspective" and that reopening the Strait of Hormuz requires strengthening dialogue.

Fidan emphasized that the new forum is distinguished by "several advantages, particularly its informal and flexible nature and its specific focus on the issues we face," noting that "we are not aware of any other forum bringing together countries with such varied geographical and political backgrounds," and affirming that Ankara "is well positioned to play a constructive role in this process."

Participants also discussed the Israeli war on Gaza and escalating tensions in Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthi forces are conducting a series of deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, as well as prospects for ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The meeting seeks to strengthen Turkey's regional role, including the Mecca Agreement on Trilateral Collective Defense that Ankara, Riyadh, and Islamabad launched last August. Turkey has affirmed that the agreement targets no particular country and is open to membership by other nations including Egypt, but Cairo has not yet finalized its decision on the matter. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had announced that Egypt would take "any measures to protect" Saudi Arabia.