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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the two-week ceasefire with Iran announced the previous night, urging that the pause be used effectively and warning against any actions that could undermine it, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said.
Erdogan told Trump that the ceasefire, which followed what he described as a difficult 40-day period, represented an important opportunity to advance toward a permanent peace agreement. He stressed the need to make the most of the window and underlined that Türkiye would continue to increase its support for diplomatic efforts, particularly those carried out alongside Pakistan, which played the central role in brokering the deal.
The Turkish president had already set out his conditions publicly, posting on social media that he welcomes the truce declared in "the war that has turned our region into a battleground since Feb. 28," and calling for it to be "fully implemented on the ground without giving opportunity to possible provocations and sabotage."
He congratulated all parties who contributed to reaching the agreement, again singling out Islamabad, and said, "It is our sincere wish that our geography, which has suffered greatly from wars, conflicts, tensions and oppression, achieves peace, tranquility and stability as soon as possible."
The ceasefire Trump and Erdogan discussed was itself the product of a dramatic last-minute intervention. Trump announced the agreement Tuesday night, less than two hours before an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline he had set for Iran to either reach a deal or face sweeping U.S. and Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.
The breakthrough came after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir asked Trump to hold off while negotiations continued, with Türkiye, Pakistan, and Egypt all playing active roles in facilitating the exchange of messages between Washington and Tehran throughout the process.
Iran subsequently submitted a 10-point proposal, which Trump described on Truth Social as a "workable basis on which to negotiate." Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the plan includes a U.S. commitment to non-aggression, continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, American acceptance of uranium enrichment, the lifting of all sanctions, financial compensation for war damages, and a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region. Formal negotiations between U.S. and Iranian delegations are expected to begin in Islamabad on April 10.
The Erdogan-Trump call was not the only diplomatic move Ankara made on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan separately spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, conveying Türkiye's satisfaction with the temporary truce and reaffirming Ankara's intention to press ahead with efforts toward a permanent settlement, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also welcomed the ceasefire in a social media post, calling it "a positive step" after a conflict that "has affected the entire world." He urged all parties to avoid escalatory moves during the two-week pause and pledged that Türkiye would "continue to strengthen our status as a 'safe harbor' in the post-war period."
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