Fidan: Israel may try to sabotage Iran-US deal, technical hurdles remain

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has cautioned that technical issues in the newly signed US-Iran memorandum of understanding may not be resolved quickly, and warned that Israel could attempt to sabotage the process. "These are important issues. It may not be easy to immediately resolve their technical details. We may see deadlocks from time to time. We need to be prepared for that. Secondly, of course, there is always an Israel waiting in the corner, ready to sabotage the process as soon as it finds the opportunity," Fidan told Anadolu in Cairo.

Technical challenges and political will

Fidan, speaking after the Fourth Consultative Meeting of foreign ministers from Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, noted that the first round of technical talks on implementing the memorandum began Sunday in Switzerland. He said he had discussed the issue by phone with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for the Middle East. Several provisions of the memorandum were left for discussion during the 60-day period, particularly technical matters related to sanctions and nuclear verification. "The political will has been demonstrated by both sides on the major issues," Fidan said.

Regional cooperation

Describing Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as major regional powers, Fidan said the four countries were working together to address the region's political, security and economic challenges. "Our main effort is to take ownership of the region's problems, seek solutions through regional initiatives and mobilize international efforts toward resolving them," he said. The R4 grouping, which held its fourth meeting in Cairo, has previously convened in Riyadh, Islamabad, and Antalya.