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Türkiye FM Says Iran, US 'Sincere' about Ceasefire, Israel Seeks to Declare Türkiye ‘New Enemy'

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
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Türkiye FM Says Iran, US 'Sincere' about Ceasefire, Israel Seeks to Declare Türkiye ‘New Enemy'

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)

Türkiye's foreign minister said on Monday he believed both Iran and the United States remain "sincere" about reaching a ceasefire despite the failure of Pakistan-mediated talks on the weekend. 

He also stated that Israel "cannot live without an enemy" and its government is now trying to portray Türkiye as one. 

US President Donald Trump has blamed the Iranian republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions for the collapse of the talks, AFP said. 

"Both sides are sincere about the ceasefire," Hakan Fidan said in an interview with the official Anadolu news agency, adding that he has been in contact with the parties involved in the negotiations. 

"I am thinking that if the nuclear issue comes down to an all-or-nothing situation especially regarding enrichment, we might face serious obstacles," Fidan said. 

"Hopefully, we will try to overcome this with the support of some mediators," he added. 

Türkiye, while a fierce critic of Israel, joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire in the conflict. 

Fidan continued to say that Israel "cannot live without an enemy" and its government is now trying to portray his country as one. 

Tensions between Türkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the Gaza war erupted following Hamas's October 7, 2023, cross-border attack in Israel. 

The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of "possible provocations and sabotage" that could jeopardize an initial ceasefire arrangement in the US-Israeli war on Iran. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday that Israel would continue to confront Tehran and its regional allies. 

"After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy," Fidan said in a televised interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency. 

"We see that not only Netanyahu's administration but also some figures in the opposition -- though not all -- are seeking to declare Türkiye the new enemy," he said. 

"This is a new development in Israel... turning into a state strategy," he added.

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Netanyahu Says Israel Supports Trump's Iran Naval Blockade

FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Netanyahu Says Israel Supports Trump's Iran Naval Blockade

FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, adding that his government is in full coordination with Washington on the matter.

"Iran violated the rules (of the peace talks in Pakistan), President Trump decided to impose a naval blockade," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to a video statement released by his office, AFP reported.

"We, of course, support this firm position, and we are in constant coordination with the United States."

The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports on Monday after weekend talks with Tehran ended without a deal.

Trump had announced on social media that he would blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz trade route that he has been demanding Tehran fully re-open, after Vice President JD Vance left the failed negotiations with an Iranian delegation in Islamabad.

The US military said the blockade would begin at 1400 GMT, and apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian ports on either side of the key waterway.

Netanyahu said Tehran had violated the terms of the talks to begin with, saying Vance had briefed him after the negotiations ended in Islamabad.

"The breakdown came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's blatant violation of the terms for entering negotiations," Netanyahu told the cabinet.

"The agreement was that there would be a ceasefire, and that the Iranians would immediately open the strait. They did not do so. The Americans could not accept this."

Netanyahu also said Vance had told him the "central issue" for Trump was the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran and "ensuring that there is no further enrichment in the years ahead -- even decades ahead -- no enrichment within Iran".

"That is their focus, and of course it is important to us as well," Netanyahu added.

World

Iran in Touch with India on Ships Passage through Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Envoy Says

A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. REUTERS
A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. REUTERS
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Iran in Touch with India on Ships Passage through Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Envoy Says

A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. REUTERS
A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. REUTERS

Iran has "good contact" with the Indian government on passage of the South Asian nation's ships through the Strait of Hormuz and wants to help New Delhi, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said on Monday.

The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, has restricted shipping through the key route - a conduit for 40% of India's crude imports - impacting trade and squeezing oil supplies.

This came as ⁠the US Central Command said in a note to seafarers seen by Reuters on ⁠Monday that US military will enforce a blockade ​in Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz and it will ‌apply to ‌all ​vessel ‌traffic regardless ⁠of ​flag.

The advanced note ‌said ‌the blockade ​would ‌come into effect at ‌1400 GMT on Monday.

"Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded ‌area without authorization is subject to interception, ⁠diversion, ⁠and capture," the note said.

"The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations." 

World

Russia Offers to Take in Iran's Enriched Uranium

FILE - This satellite image provided by Vantor shows the Natanz nuclear complex in Iran on March 7, 2026, with no new damage seen at the facility or the tunnels. (Satellite image ©2026 Vantor via AP, file)
FILE - This satellite image provided by Vantor shows the Natanz nuclear complex in Iran on March 7, 2026, with no new damage seen at the facility or the tunnels. (Satellite image ©2026 Vantor via AP, file)
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Russia Offers to Take in Iran's Enriched Uranium

FILE - This satellite image provided by Vantor shows the Natanz nuclear complex in Iran on March 7, 2026, with no new damage seen at the facility or the tunnels. (Satellite image ©2026 Vantor via AP, file)
FILE - This satellite image provided by Vantor shows the Natanz nuclear complex in Iran on March 7, 2026, with no new damage seen at the facility or the tunnels. (Satellite image ©2026 Vantor via AP, file)

Russia is ready to take in Iran's enriched uranium as part of a future peace deal with the United States, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Failed talks between Iran and the United States over the weekend dashed hopes of a swift deal to permanently end the war that has killed thousands and thrown the global economy into turmoil since it began in late February.

Russia, which possesses the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, has repeatedly offered to host Iran's enriched uranium as part of any peace deal.

"This proposal was voiced by President (Vladimir) Putin in contacts with both the United States and regional states. The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon," the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday in response to a question by AFP.

The Kremlin also criticized Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that has been at a standstill since the US and Israel began striking Iran in late February.

"Such actions will likely continue to negatively impact the international market," Peskov said.