09.02.2026 22:31
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed a detail about the 12-Day War between Iran and Israel in June 2025 for the first time. Minister Fidan stated, "We received a phone call from the U.S. one night. They said, 'Tell the Iranians that everything could happen within a few hours.' I spoke with my Iranian counterpart, and he said, 'How can this be? We have set a date for the meeting.' It was the U.S. that was negotiating, and Israel that was striking."
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made statements regarding the tension between the US and Iran. Minister Fidan, who participated in a live broadcast on CNN Türk, revealed a detail about the 12-Day War that began with Israel's strike on Iran last June for the first time.
"WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE US A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE 12-DAY WAR STARTED"
Minister Fidan stated, "During the 12-day June war, we received a call from the US one night, saying, 'Tell the Iranians that everything could happen within a few hours.' I spoke with my Iranian counterpart, and he said, 'How can that be? We have set a date for the meeting.' The one who was negotiating was the US, and the one who was striking was Israel. The situation may be different this time.
We need cooperation platforms. The greatest need of the region is for the countries in the region to instill trust in each other. This needs to be eliminated. Our President's perspective on this issue is to institutionalize regional solidarity in military, political, and economic fields. It is also important to have discussions on this. Advanced proposals are coming up, and I believe that there will be developments contributing to regional stability in the near future.
"IT COULD ESCALATE THE WAR IN THE REGION"
I do not want to bring up bad scenarios in the public eye. Iran has stated that it would respond if it were subjected to a major attack, which includes attacks on targets in regional countries. Attacks on US bases in regional countries under the guise of targeting energy infrastructures could lead to the escalation of the war in the region; once it enters that corridor, it is uncertain where it will stop.
"THE REGIME IN IRAN CANNOT BE OVERTHROWN BY AIR STRIKES"
There are issues related to national security that we closely monitor; we do not want a scenario that could negatively affect the fight against terrorism. War brings great tragedies and instability. The regime in Iran cannot be overthrown by air strikes. There are harsh responses to the discomforts in Iranian society, and there are speculations about what the losses are. When the Iranian minister came, he provided a figure and stated that he was clear on this issue. The official figure is also a large number. My French counterpart was talking about 30,000. At the end of the day, it is a significant number when it comes to human lives.
"THIS IS A EMPTY DREAM"
This is an empty dream. It could be like this: The government weakens, cannot serve the public, and the existing regime may prefer to take radical decisions and perhaps transform. I do not think a regime change could practically happen. We have two types of conversations. One is recorded, and the other is our friendly discussions. It may not be accurate to define the problem as the regime of Iran. The problem is the decisions and policies implemented by the regime. There are regimes that are more centralized than the Iranian regime. As long as they do not cause global troubles, they are not subject to global complaints.
"IRAN IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS PAID A PRICE IN TERMS OF URANIUM ENRICHMENT"
The fact that the same cadres have been in place since the revolution may cause a systematic problem, as they view and manage the country more like an organization that continues the revolution rather than a nation-state system. Iran is a country that has paid a price in terms of uranium enrichment; it has been its cause for the last 30 years. Iran insists on this issue, while on the other hand, there is a fatwa from the leader stating that making an atomic bomb is forbidden; while this fatwa is in place, the system cannot produce bombs, but they are developing capabilities close to making bombs. You are not making a bomb, but you are subject to sanctions because you are developing capabilities.
This is what people do not understand. They are not making an atomic bomb, but they are enriching uranium, which is the precursor to it. There is no atomic bomb, nor is there any data about their desire to make one. On one hand, you must develop a warhead, and on the other hand, you must enrich uranium. The problem here is uranium enrichment.