Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call to pursue talks with Iran to de-escalate ‌tensions between the two countries, and offered Ankara’s support for peace efforts, the Turkish presidency said today.

Turkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest army and borders Iran, has repeatedly called for an end to the war. It has maintained close ‌contact with the United States, Iran and mediators such as Pakistan and Qatar, while also ‌acting as an intermediary between the parties.

“Erdogan stated that ‌it ⁠is of great importance to make the utmost ⁠of diplomacy regarding the tensions between Iran and the United States, that we hope the talks will continue, and that Turkey will continue to support peace efforts,” the ‌presidency said in a statement.

– Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday he was pleased by the recent signing of a defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

“Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way,” he wrote, calling it a “BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP.”

The three-way agreement, signed August 7, comes amid a U.S.-Iran war that has extended violence to the region, including Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks.

– AFP

Iran yesterday demanded that Qatar release three of Tehran’s pilots whose aircraft went down early in the West Asia war, though the Gulf state denied it was detaining them.

Iran had previously reported one pilot killed and others missing after a sortie to Qatar in March, but news of their alleged capture was not publicised at the time.

“Three Iranian pilots were captured alive by Qatari forces after their Su-24 fighter jets crashed during the war,” said General Mohammad Bagherzadeh of the Iranian armed forces, Fars news agency reported.

“Javad Salehi, Abdolmajid Dashtian and Omran Behraveshian have been held by Qatari forces for six months,” he said in a letter addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

– AFP

Iran called on the U.S. to accept defeat while President Donald Trump blasted Iran as “evil” and urged Americans ‌to brace for continued high fuel prices. The comments suggested the warring parties remained far apart, with progress toward peace talks and oil tanker traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway both halted.

“This strait will be opened and ⁠closed only under Iran’s command, and so long as you do not accept the reality of defeat and stop indulging in fantasies, Iran will continue to enforce the blockade,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X early Saturday, showing little urgency toward restoring prewar trade.

“The Strait of Hormuz ‌cannot be seized by a tweet or an aircraft carrier, by issuing an order or by delivering an election speech,” he said. 

– Reuters