Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan dismissed fears of an imminent war between the US and Iran, but warned a regional nuclear arms race would begin if Tehran acquired atomic weapons.
Tensions have simmered between the US and Iran for weeks. Washington sent an “armada” to the Middle East in response to a government crackdown on protests in Iran. Concerns are high that Washington could launch another attack on Tehran. Iran also warned it would respond by striking American bases in the region.
"At the moment, there doesn't seem to be an immediate threat of war," Mr Fidan told CNN Turk, referring to Oman-mediated talks that have resumed between Iran and the US.
On Friday, the two sides held discussions on the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme. US President Donald Trump, who ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in June last year, described the talks in Oman as “very good” and added that negotiations would continue this week.
Talks have typically faced difficulties on the topic of uranium enrichment. Iran has insisted that US demands for zero enrichment are a red line.
Mr Fidan said Iran had not taken steps to "weaponise its enriched uranium" and that "the Iranians don't have atomic bombs".
"But it is developing capabilities that are close to making a bomb," he added. "You are not making a bomb, but because you are developing these capabilities, you are constantly subject to sanctions. You are treated as if you have made a bomb."
However, the Turkish minister warned the balance in the region would be affected if Iran acquired nuclear weapons. "Frankly, we don't want to see dramatic changes that would alter the balance in the region. There is a balance of power," he said.
He added that other countries may seek to acquire such weapons – and he did not rule out the possibility of Ankara pursuing that path. "It would push countries that interpret this differently, countries that have other problems with Iran, into an effort to acquire nuclear weapons, and we might inevitably have to join the same race," he said.
When asked whether Turkey should possess nuclear weapons, Mr Fidan hesitated, then responded that "these are, of course, high-level strategic issues. These are matters that need to be considered within the broader, larger picture".
Turkey, alongside Gulf countries, had been involved in round-the-clock conversations with American and Iranian leaders aimed at averting a new war in the region. Talks were initially said to be taking place in Istanbul, but the location was later changed to Muscat.
Mr Fidan met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the end of last month. Turkey has opposed military action against Iran and has instead encouraged Washington and Tehran to engage in negotiations.
Washington and Tehran held several rounds of talks last year over an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, after the US pulled out of a previous deal in 2018 during Mr Trump’s first term. But those talks collapsed when Israel attacked Iran in June, unleashing a 12-day war in which the US also struck Iranian nuclear sites.
"We received a call from [US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio saying, 'Tell the Iranians anything can happen in the next few hours,'" Mr Fidan recalled in the interview about June last year. He added that Tehran was in disbelief that an attack was imminent during negotiations.
