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Türkiye's Erdogan Rejects US Pressure to Cut Hamas Ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - AFP
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Türkiye's Erdogan Rejects US Pressure to Cut Hamas Ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday pushed back against mounting US pressure to cut Ankara's historic ties with Hamas in the wake of the militants' unprecedented attacks on Israel.

The US Treasury's top terrorism financing official conveyed Washington's "profound" alarm about Ankara's past relations with Hamas during a visit to Türkiye this week.

Under Secretary Brian Nelson said Washington has not detected any money passing through Türkiye to Hamas since the Gaza war broke out eight weeks ago.

But he argued that Ankara had helped Hamas access funding in the past and should now use local laws to clamp down on potential future transfers.

Erdogan said Saturday that Washington was well aware that Türkiye does not view Hamas as a terrorist organization.

"First of all, Hamas is a reality of Palestine, it is a political party there and it entered the elections as a political party and won," he said in remarks released by his office.

"We form our foreign policy in Ankara and design it only according to Türkiye's interests and the expectations of our people," Erdogan said, AFP reported.

"I am sure that our interlocutors appreciate Türkiye's consistent and balanced foreign policy steps in such humanitarian crises and conflicts."

Israel on Friday resumed punishing air strikes after the sides failed to extend a seven-day truce that had seen 80 Israeli hostages released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

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World

UN Urges All Sides in Middle East War to ‘Come to Their Senses’

A woman reacts on the street following an Israeli and US strike on a police station, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman reacts on the street following an Israeli and US strike on a police station, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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UN Urges All Sides in Middle East War to ‘Come to Their Senses’

A woman reacts on the street following an Israeli and US strike on a police station, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
A woman reacts on the street following an Israeli and US strike on a police station, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

The United Nations on Tuesday urged all parties to "come to their senses" and end the war in the Middle East, with fear and panic spreading across the region and beyond.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he was "deeply shocked" by how the conflict was affecting civilians.

"The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable -- and was entirely avoidable," his spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a press conference in Geneva.

"The situation is worsening and widening by the hour, playing out our worst fears."

Turk "is deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict erupted on Saturday with Israel and the United States of America's attacks on Iran, Iran's response against states across the region, as well as Hezbollah's subsequent entry into the conflict," she said.

Turk called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, prevent further escalation, and take all feasible measures to protect civilians and critical infrastructure.

"Returning to the negotiating table is the one and only way to bring an end to the killing, destruction and despair," Shamdasani said.

Turk "implores all parties to come to their senses, and to end this violence", she added.

Shamdasani said the laws of war were clear: civilians and civilian objects are protected, and all states and armed groups must abide by the law.

- Girls' school attack -

Iran has claimed that 168 people were killed in a strike on a girls' school in the southern town of Minab.

Turk is calling for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the attack.

"The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it. We call on them to make public the findings and ensure accountability and redress for victims," Shamdasani said.

The UN rights office voiced grave concern for the welfare of Iranian citizens, "given the government's record of cracking down with lethal force on broad scale against those who oppose their rule".

It called for the immediate restoration of telecoms services, saying many Iranians were again unable to get online and access essential information as hostilities continue.

"We are also concerned for the welfare of hundreds of political prisoners that continue to be arbitrarily held in Iran. Every effort must be taken to ensure their protection, and we urge their prompt release."

World

Türkiye Says It’s Engaging with All Sides to End Iran War, Resume Diplomacy

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 15, 2026. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Says It’s Engaging with All Sides to End Iran War, Resume Diplomacy

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 15, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 15, 2026. (Reuters)

Türkiye is engaging with all parties ‌to find a way to end the war in Iran and return to negotiations, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, adding that Ankara was also in talks with Oman on the matter as the Gulf nation works for the same goal.

The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. The war quickly widened with Tehran striking Gulf states that host US bases and Israel attacking Iranian-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Türkiye, a NATO member and neighbor of Iran, had for weeks urged Washington and Tehran to reach an agreement during ‌their rounds of negotiations ‌over Iran's nuclear program and missile capabilities, warning ‌that ⁠the region could ⁠not handle any more destabilization.

Fidan told members of Turkish media during a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner on Tuesday that Türkiye was "sensitively carrying out necessary initiatives with all our counterparts" to achieve peace in the region, and added it was critical to preserve the stability of Iran and the region.

"There isn't a single-layered negotiation, there is a multi-layered negotiation," Fidan ⁠said, according to a transcript of his comments shared ‌on Tuesday.

"We have been talking ‌to the Europeans for a few days... If you want peace, let's work ‌together. We are urging them to take action. The Gulf ‌nations are now facing a serious situation," he said.

"We are talking to the Omani (foreign minister). Oman is also still trying to do something there. We are talking to the Americans," he said.

In his strongest yet opposition to the attacks against ‌Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that they were a "clear violation" of international law.

Fidan warned ⁠against the ⁠conflict engulfing the whole region and affecting energy supplies. He added that the closure of the Hormuz Strait, where one-fifth of global oil trade skirts Iran's coast, could "push the United States to obtain a quick result".

He said Iran was trying to "create costs" for the US and its partners by attacking Gulf states and energy infrastructure, but added that he didn't believe Tehran could obtain the desired result that way.

"By bombing these places, Iran will say they should pressure the United States and end the war, but that doesn't seem like it will happen. I don't know how much Iran has left," he said, adding that Tehran could instead "bother" Israel with missile strikes.

World

Iran Warns European Countries Against Joining War

A view of a damaged building around Ferdowsi Square after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
A view of a damaged building around Ferdowsi Square after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
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Iran Warns European Countries Against Joining War

A view of a damaged building around Ferdowsi Square after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, 03 March 2026. (EPA)
A view of a damaged building around Ferdowsi Square after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, 03 March 2026. (EPA)

Iran warned European countries on Tuesday against joining its conflict with Israel and the United States, after Germany, Britain and France said they could take "defensive action" to destroy Iran's missile-launching capabilities.

"It would be an act of war. Any such act against Iran would be regarded as complicity with the aggressors. It would be regarded as an act of war against Iran," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press briefing when asked about the statement.