Balancing self-interest and ambition, Ankara’s mediation between Washington and Tehran reflects a broader strategy to prevent regional war, protect domestic stability, and reassert Turkey as an indispensable Middle Eastern power
In recent years, Turkey has sought to position itself as a balancing regional actor, based on the understanding that any large-scale regional confrontation could directly harm its internal stability, national security, and economic situation.
Senior security officials in Jerusalem assess that this is why Ankara intervened in the tensions between Iran and the United States and attempted to mediate a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Turkey’s mediation policy is not a one-off diplomatic move, but rather part of a broader national security doctrine that views active diplomacy as a tool for managing strategic risks. Over the past decade, Turkey has faced multiple active conflict zones, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, the fighting in Syria and Iraq, tensions with Iran, and disputes in the Mediterranean over control of natural resources such as oil and natural gas.