(March 25): Turkey is conducting intensive diplomatic efforts to try and prevent Gulf Arab countries from joining the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
Ankara has urged Gulf nations to act with restraint, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Turkey has stepped up diplomacy, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and holding calls with other regional counterparts.
The Gulf’s most powerful states — Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in particular — are losing patience with Iranian strikes that have already hit ports, energy facilities and airports, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. But they would only join the war if the Islamic Republic makes good on its threats to attack vital Gulf power and water infrastructure — a high threshold, the people added.
“We do not want the war to turn into a war of attrition among countries in the region,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting late Tuesday. “Retaliatory actions, especially against countries in the Gulf, carry such a risk.”
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