ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Washington and Tehran are "sincere" about upholding the Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire, which is largely holding, and expects both countries to extend the truce to at least 45 days.
“Initial positions are always somewhat maximalist. Later, the parties try to find common ground with the support of mediators. As long as they have the intention to reach, maintain, and permanently achieve a ceasefire. What I see is that both sides are sincere about the ceasefire and aware of its need,” Fidan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency in a televised interview.
The ceasefire, announced on Wednesday, followed nearly 40 days of war that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a joint aerial campaign targeting thousands of sites across Iran. Several senior Iranian leaders and commanders were killed in the opening strikes, including former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939-2026).
In response, Tehran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The Iranian response also involved armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on purported US targets in the region, including in Iraq and Kurdistan Region.
Pakistan last week mediated a ceasefire between the warring parties, paving the way for American and Iranian negotiators to hold rare face-to-face high-level talks in Islamabad on Saturday. The discussions lasted roughly 21 hours but ended without a final agreement. It remains unclear whether further talks will be held.
“Both the Americans and the Iranians have gone home. I think the Iranians, especially, will evaluate the offer made by the Americans. They will give a response,” Fidan told Adadolu, warning that “disruptive” actions by Israel could complicate the truce.
One of the main sticking points appears to be the ongoing war in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Since early March, Israel has carried out hundreds of air raids on what it says are Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including what the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported were 100 strikes in 10 minutes on Wednesday. Beirut’s health ministry said the strikes killed more than 300 people and injured over 2,000 others, mostly civilians.
The renewed Israeli military action in Lebanon began when Hezbollah in early March launched an initial attack on northern Israel, which it said was to "avenge" the killing of Khamenei.
While Iran and Pakistan have maintained that the two-week ceasefire brokered last week extends to Lebanon, the claim has been contested by both Israel and the US.
While Washington and Tehran did not signal any intention to extend the two-week ceasefire, Fidan said the truce could be extended by 45 to 60 days if negotiations between the two sides progress positively.
Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities and the management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz - through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil is traded - also appear to be among the key sources of disagreement between Washington and Tehran.
“If the nuclear issue becomes an 'all or nothing' situation, especially regarding enrichment, I think we may encounter a serious obstacle. We will try to overcome this with the support of some mediators and other countries,” said the Turkish foreign minister.
When asked whether the issue concerning the Strait of Hormuz could be resolved, and about Turkey’s approach regarding the matter, he said, “Now, the Strait of Hormuz is actually the most important example showing that this is not a regional war, but a war with global implications.”
Of note, in an indication of potential escalation on the horizon, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a blockade of Iranian ports, further warning in a Truth Social post that if any of Iran’s attack ships “come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment