Turkey's foreign minister warned that Israel appears to be seeking an opportunity to strike Iran, a move he said could destabilise the region. Hakan Fidan told NTV he had shared these concerns with Iranian officials during a recent visit to Tehran. Turkey reiterated its opposition to foreign intervention, while Tehran vowed to treat any attack as an "all-out war." US media report a carrier strike group is moving toward the Gulf amid heightened rhetoric from US leadership.
Turkey Warns Israel May Be 'Looking for Opportunity' to Strike Iran, Raising Regional Tensions
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, on November 30, 2025 [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that there are signs Israel may be seeking an opportunity to strike Iran — a development he said could further destabilise an already volatile region. Fidan delivered the warning in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV, and said he had raised his concerns directly with Iranian officials during a recent visit to Tehran.
Fidan's Message and Diplomatic Outreach
“I hope they find a different path, but the reality is that Israel, in particular, is looking for an opportunity to strike Iran,” Fidan said. When asked whether his assessment also applied to the United States, he reiterated that Israel, specifically, appeared to be seeking such an opening, according to Turkiye Today.
Fidan said he relayed his concerns face-to-face in Tehran. “When I went to Tehran in recent days, I told them everything about the process as their friend,” he said. “And you know, a friend speaks bitter truths,” he added.
Regional Reaction and Military Posturing
The warning followed a call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, during which Erdogan stressed Turkey’s opposition to any foreign intervention in Iran and expressed support for his neighbour’s peace and stability.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran would treat any attack by its enemies “as an all-out war against us,” language that further escalated a war of words between Washington and Iran’s leadership. The official said Iran’s military was on high alert and would respond decisively to any violation of its sovereignty.
US Naval Movements and Rhetoric
US media reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group have been diverted from the South China Sea toward the Gulf and were expected to arrive in the region in the coming days. The movement follows comments by US President Donald Trump, who said he had dispatched an “armada” of naval vessels toward the Gulf with Iran in his sights. Trump’s remarks marked a renewed escalation in rhetoric after briefly appearing to step back amid recent antigovernment protests in Iran.
The US military previously mounted a major naval buildup in June 2024 during a period of heightened Israel-Iran tensions and ahead of operations targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.
Why This Matters
Fidan’s comments, Tehran’s strong warnings and US naval movements together highlight how fragile regional stability is — and how quickly rhetoric and deployments can raise the risk of miscalculation or wider conflict.
What to watch next: further diplomatic exchanges involving Turkey, Iran, Israel and the United States; confirmation of carrier strike group movements; and any changes in public statements from Tehran or Tel Aviv that could signal escalation or a de-escalation of tensions.
Help us improve.
