Foreign Ministers in Istanbul Urge US and Israel Not to Renew Attacks on Iran
Foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries met in Istanbul on Friday, October 23, and urged the United States and Israel not to renew attacks on Iran. The summit was initiated by Turkey and Germany, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan served as joint convener.
The Middle Eastern participants were Fidan, Egypt's Badr Abdelatty, Pakistan's Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabia's Faisal bin Farhan. The European side was represented by France's Jean-Noël Barrot, Britain's Ed Miliband, Germany's Johann Wadephul and Italy's Antonio Tajani.
Fidan said that military intervention in Iran is not a solution, and that the countries at the meeting agreed a new military attack would spread war and conflict across the region. Reuters reported that Turkey said diplomacy is the only way to address the conflict over Iran.
Barrot said another war between Iran and the United States would be bad for both sides and would worsen rising oil prices. Miliband urged both sides to pursue diplomacy. Tajani said the aim of the meeting was to work toward de-escalation in order to guarantee freedom of navigation.
The ministers also demanded an end to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis are an armed group based in Yemen. They called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for oil, which The Guardian reported was blockaded by Iranian ships and drones. Wadephul accused the Houthis and Iran of using threats to disrupt world trade and global supplies of energy and fertiliser.
Oil prices had reached their highest level since May at the time of the meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at more military action on Iran soon while the ministers gathered in Turkey, according to New Arab. On Thursday, NPR reported that the United States and Israel were preparing plans for a possible attack on Iran in early November, after the U.S. midterm elections.
Separately, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia formed a defensive security pact in August, known as the Mecca pact. Egypt may join it.
