Hakan Fidan: Istanbul meeting countries oppose a new attack on the Islamic Republic

Hakan Fidan, Turkey's foreign minister, said after the meeting of the foreign ministers of eight countries in Istanbul on Friday 23 October 2026 that the participants agree a renewed military campaign against the Islamic Republic would widen the war in the region and that diplomacy is the only way to end the crisis. The meeting, which DIAR had reported on beforehand, was the first joint meeting of the quartet of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt with Britain, France and Germany, and Italy also took part.

Fidan said none of the participants supports renewed military intervention and all want a swift ceasefire in the Persian Gulf. He called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to attacks on Saudi Arabia. Jean-Noël Barrot, France's foreign minister, said that a renewed escalation would produce "only losers" and would seriously affect oil and gas prices. Antonio Tajani, Italy's foreign minister, said the problem has no military solution.

Europe's demand of the Islamic Republic

Johann Wadephul, Germany's foreign minister, called on the Islamic Republic and the Houthis to stop attacking ships and neighbouring countries and urged Tehran to drop its "maximalist demands". He said Germany, Britain and France are ready to join nuclear talks and ease sanctions if the Islamic Republic enters serious negotiations to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

At the same time Tom Barrack, Trump's special envoy, said a US strike could take place this very weekend, and Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, had said Washington can keep up the blockade of the Islamic Republic's ports for a long time.

Background: the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on ships

The Istanbul meeting took place as October, with 28 confirmed attacks, has been the month with the most attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz since records of such incidents began. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Islamic Republic's Supreme National Security Council, has admitted that the Islamic Republic's forces have targeted about five ships in the area every night over the past two or three months. The Islamic Republic has tied the reopening of the strait to an end to the US naval blockade.

Eight countries in Istanbul opposed a new attack, but Germany laid the responsibility for attacks on ships and neighbours on the Islamic Republic.