Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said the idea that U.S. or Israeli air strikes on Iran could lead to regime change was a “pipe dream.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned in an interview with CNN Turk on Tuesday that Turkey could be drawn into a nuclear arms race if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, arguing that such a development would reshape regional security and put pressure on neighboring countries.
“If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, other countries cannot remain indifferent,” Fidan said in an interview. He added that the consequences would not be limited to Iran and warned of ripple effects throughout the Middle East, driven by the logic of deterrence and heightened threat awareness.
Fidan said Türkiye remained opposed to nuclear proliferation and supported diplomatic solutions, but stressed that regional realities could force countries to reassess their options.
“You can’t expect countries to just sit back and watch,” he said, describing a scenario in which Iran’s nuclear capabilities could trigger a “race” that would be difficult to contain once it begins.
He viewed the issue as one of strategic balance rather than ideology, and said the emergence of new nuclear powers in the region would increase the risk of escalation and miscalculation.
Illustration of Iranian ballistic missile in front of mushroom explosion cloud and Iranian flag background. (Source: BERK CAN/Shutterstock)
“This is not just an Iranian problem,” he said, adding that it was a broader regional and international security issue that could redraw red lines in several capitals.
Fidan also said Ankara prefers to de-escalate the situation and restart diplomacy, but he believes diplomacy must achieve concrete results.
“It is important to prevent a new nuclear reality in the region,” he said, warning that failure would have “serious consequences” for stability.
He affirmed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons should be considered a shared international priority and said that once proliferation pressure arises, “it will become more difficult to reverse the situation.”
Turkish Foreign Minister claims air strikes will not lead to collapse of Iranian regime
Fidan also claimed that the Iranian regime would not collapse even if the United States or Israel launched air strikes against the Islamic Republic.
“I don’t want to speculate on certain situations in Iran, but the regime is not going to change through airstrikes or anything else. That’s a pipe dream,” he said.
“The likely scenario is that the government is weak and the system is weak and unable to deliver services to the people. Then the existing regime may choose to take more radical decisions and perhaps try to correct the situation. It may transform itself,” he noted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “has shown the greatest sensitivity on this issue… We want to use all available means to prevent a possible war,” he confirmed.
“At this time, there does not appear to be an immediate threat of war,” he added.
Fidan: “The Iranians don’t have the bomb. They don’t have the data they want to build”
Furthermore, Fidan insisted that Tehran had no intention of building an atomic bomb.
Fidan claimed that the regime was enriching uranium while also implementing a religious edict issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outlawing nuclear weapons, repeating a statement frequently affirmed by Iranian officials and representatives.
“With this fatwa, the system cannot produce bombs. But it has developed capabilities close to weaponization, which would result in sanctions and treatment as if it had produced bombs,” Fidan said.
“The Iranians don’t have an atomic bomb. There’s no data that they want to make one,” he added.
“As long as they don’t cause global problems, the world won’t complain about them. No one really cares what kind of regime they have,” Fidan said of the existence of Islamic regimes.