Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that Israel may be looking for an opportunity to attack Iran, stressing that such a move could worsen regional instability and has already been raised with Tehran.

Fidan told Turkish broadcaster NTV on Friday that Israel, in particular, appears to be seeking an opportunity to strike Iran. He emphasized that he had conveyed these concerns directly to Iranian officials during a recent visit to Tehran.

“When I went to Tehran in recent days, I told them everything about the process as their friend,” Fidan said. “And you know, a friend speaks bitter truths,” according to Turkiye Today.

The warning follows a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday. Erdogan reportedly stressed that Turkey opposes any foreign interventions in Iran and values its neighbour’s peace and stability.

A senior Iranian official echoed the warning, stating that any attack by external enemies would be treated “as an all-out war against us,” signaling Tehran’s heightened readiness.

US military build-up raises tensions

The warnings come as US President Donald Trump said he sent an “armada” of naval ships to the Gulf region, again increasing rhetoric against Tehran. This follows a temporary cooldown in US threats amid anti-government protests in Iran.

Reports indicate that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group are diverting from the South China Sea to the Middle East, expected to arrive in the Gulf in the coming days.

Iran signals readiness for retaliation

Iranian officials have stressed that any violation of its sovereignty would prompt a decisive response.

“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official told Reuters.

Iran has placed its military on high alert, stating that it must be prepared to counter threats and restore balance against any potential aggression.