Fidan: Saudi Arabia Must Be Kept Out of the US–Iran War — Talks Still Blocked by Mistrust

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the alleged attacks on Saudi Arabia, including targets in Mecca and oil infrastructure, saying the kingdom must be kept out of the conflict between Iran and the United States. “We are seeing very dangerous attacks targeting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and infrastructure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Fidan said in an interview with Turkish television NTV.

“We do not accept that this becomes part of the ongoing disagreement and conflict between Iran and the United States; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must be kept out of this equation, since it does not seek to be involved,” he added, noting the mutual responsibility of the alliance among the involved countries.

Fidan also warned that serious disruptions of energy supply routes are creating “an extremely difficult situation” for countries like Turkey that depend heavily on imported energy, mentioning the added effect of attacks on energy infrastructure also in the Russia–Ukraine war.

On the US–Iran negotiations, Fidan said they remain blocked after months of deadlock and that there is “a considerable lack of trust between the parties.” According to him, the economic effects of the conflict “have begun to exceed what the affected countries can tolerate,” noting the opening of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait from Yemen as “a move to gradually expand the conflict toward Saudi Arabia.” He added that on the Mecca agreement an understanding had been reached in Pakistan, but “discrepancies appeared” in its implementation, while work on institutionalizing the alliance — including a General Secretariat and a military headquarters — is near completion.

Source: Al Jazeera