TEHRAN -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his concern that a new U.S. war against Iran would destabilize the region.

“A new war targeting Iran will not benefit anyone; on the contrary, our region will lose,” Erdogan told reporters aboard his plane while returning from a working visit to Ethiopia. He said he had conveyed this position to all parties involved.

Turkey was among the key countries that mediated between Tehran and Washington to help launch a new round of nuclear negotiations after previous talks were cut short in June 2025 by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian soil. Several Persian Gulf states, along with Egypt and Pakistan, also made diplomatic efforts.

“As Turkey, we have made it clear to all our counterparts that we oppose military intervention against Iran,” he said. “We will continue to explain that such military escalation and rising tensions would drag our region into even greater uncertainty.”

Erdogan’s remarks come as the United States has stepped up its military buildup in the region.

The Turkish president also said he remains in contact at the highest levels with both Iran and the United States regarding the growing tensions between the two countries.

“I spoke with the Iranian president most recently. The very next day, I also spoke with U.S. President Trump,” Erdogan said. “In all these conversations, we discussed how we might find a way forward.”

“We are a country that builds bridges and prepares the ground for peace, not one that builds walls and fuels conflicts,” he added. “As long as the door to diplomacy remains open, there is hope. We will preserve and strengthen that hope.”

While Iran and the United States have held two rounds of talks — first in Muscat on Feb. 6 and then in Geneva on Feb. 17 — President Donald Trump and several other American officials, including members of Congress, have continued to use war rhetoric toward Iran.