Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has urged diplomacy to resolve Western concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, warning that a military strike will result in a “disaster.”
“A military option will create a disaster in our region. So before that disaster, everybody must be serious in negotiations. We hope soon both sides will meet again but this time there will be a complete result,” Davutoglu said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of security officials and diplomats.
“If there is strong political will and mutual confidence being established, this issue could be resolved in a few days,” he said. “The technical disputes are not so big. The problem is mutual confidence and strong political will.”
The United States, Israel and accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and used this pretext to push for international and unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic as well as calls for a military attack on the country.
On Thursday, a Washington Post article revealed US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June” and that the Obama administration is “conducting intense discussions about what an Israeli attack would mean for the United States.”
On the same day, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that if Western sanctions against Iran fail to stop its nuclear program, military action against the country must be an option.
“Should sanctions fail to stop Iran’s nuclear program, there will be a need to consider taking action,” Barak said.
Iran has refuted the allegations over its nuclear program, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.
Iranian officials have also promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.