Turkey calls on Iran, US to stop attacks in Gulf region, says strikes harm peace efforts

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that freedom of passage should be allowed in the Strait of Hormuz, and the pre-war status quo should be reinstated.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday that reciprocal attacks in the Gulf were impacting peace efforts to end the US-Iran war and called for them to immediately stop, adding that Ankara also valued the stability of its neighbor Iran.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart in Baku, Fidan also said freedom of passage should be allowed in the Strait of Hormuz, and the pre-war status quo should be reinstated, adding that Ankara was in touch with all involved parties to find a solution to the matter.

This comes as Iran claimed that an oil tanker exploded and caught fire after colliding with mines in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM denied the report that a collision caused the explosion, instead stating that the ship had actually been struck by an Iranian missile last month and had recently been struck again by an Iranian drone

"The IRGC's false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait," CENTCOM wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

CENTCOM says Iranian drones strike Panama-flagged oil tanker

According to Iranian state media Fars, the tanker was identified as the El Gaia, a ship flying under the Panamanian flag. The ship was later ferried to shore in Oman. 

Additionally, Iranian-backed Houthis have been disrupting shipping lanes with attacks in the Red Sea and have been striking Saudi cities and assets. 

On Friday, Fidan discussed regional developments and recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia in a call with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.