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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Monday that both the United States and Iran remain "sincere" about reaching a ceasefire despite the collapse of peace talks in Islamabad.
He warned, however, that if the nuclear issue, particularly uranium enrichment, becomes an "all or nothing" matter, a serious obstacle could emerge that mediators will need to help overcome.
Fidan told Anadolu Agency's (AA) Editors' Desk that Türkiye was in contact with all parties throughout Saturday's talks.
"We were in communication with the negotiating parties throughout the day yesterday to see what our contribution could be and where the situation is getting stuck. The Americans made a clearer statement," he stated.
"Vance held a press conference saying they had brought an offer to the table and that the blockage was on the nuclear issue. There are certain proposals on this matter right now," Fidan said.
He said both sides' opening positions being maximalist was a normal feature of early-stage negotiations.
"Starting positions are always somewhat maximalist. Afterwards, parties try to bring them to a meeting point with the support of mediators. As long as there is a genuine, lasting intention to reach and sustain a ceasefire. What I see right now is that both sides are sincere about the ceasefire and are aware of the need," Fidan said.
Fidan explicitly named Israel as a persistent disruptive factor in the negotiations.
"There is always an Israel factor; Israel's spoiler role here must always be calculated. We continuously tell this to the Americans and to other parties as well. But as of now, the Americans and the Iranians have both returned to their homes," he noted.
"I think the Iranians in particular will evaluate the proposal the Americans made and will provide a response," the Turkish top diplomat said.
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The Turkish foreign minister noted that the 15-day ceasefire window was likely always too short to conclude the full negotiating agenda.
"When you look at the topics being negotiated, it may not even have been technically possible to finalize them into a signed document within 15 days. If the parties are proceeding well, an additional ceasefire of 45 or 60 days could come onto the agenda so that negotiations can continue," he said.
He then identified the single issue most likely to derail a deal entirely.
"If the nuclear issue comes down to an all-or-nothing situation, especially regarding enrichment, I think we could face a serious obstacle there. Allah willing, we will try to overcome this too with the support of some mediators and other countries," Fidan said.
Türkiye joined diplomatic efforts alongside Egypt and Pakistan to help reach the initial ceasefire, and Fidan said Ankara would continue to contribute whatever it could to the resolution of the broader conflict.
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