Fidan and Albares discuss Middle East crisis, Iranian missile incident
2026-03-04 - 20:42
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan continued his intensive diplomatic engagement Wednesday, holding a telephone conversation with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East. The call, confirmed by Turkish diplomatic sources, came as Ankara maintains active dialogue with multiple international partners following the interception of an Iranian ballistic munition over Turkish territory. Madrid condemns Iranian missile, backs Türkiye In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Albares revealed that he used the opportunity to reiterate Spain's urgent call for "de-escalation in the Middle East" and a "return to diplomatic negotiations." The Spanish minister emphasized that Madrid demands all parties involved strictly "respect international law." Addressing the incident that saw an Iranian projectile neutralized over Turkish airspace, Albares stated he "firmly condemned" the action and offered Spain's full solidarity to the Turkish government and its people. Ankara maintains diplomatic blitz amid regional crisis Wednesday's call with Albares represents one component of a broader diplomatic offensive by Foreign Minister Fidan, who also spoke separately with his counterparts from Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Canada, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Earlier in the day, Fidan discussed the same regional developments and the neutralized missile with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This intensive diplomatic engagement reflects Ankara's proactive approach to managing the fallout from the widening conflict while ensuring Turkish national security interests remain protected. Regional conflagration deepens The diplomatic activity unfolds against the backdrop of a major military escalation that began Saturday with coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. The ongoing offensive has reportedly claimed nearly 900 lives, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. Tehran has responded with waves of drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli territory and Gulf Cooperation Council nations hosting American military assets, raising fears of a broader regional war that could draw in additional powers and further destabilize the Middle East.