Eight foreign ministers in Istanbul urge against new strikes on Iran

A first meeting in an unusual format

Foreign ministers from eight countries gathered in Istanbul on Friday, 23 October 2026, for the first session of a format that had not existed before. Turkey and Germany initiated the meeting, which brought together the E3 group of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, joined by Italy, and the R4 group of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The R4 ministers held their own session before a joint meeting with the European side. Germany's Johann Wadephul called the talks successful even though they produced no concrete decisions, and the participants agreed to keep the format. The next meeting will take place in Germany, and Wadephul said he would soon begin preparing it.

Warnings against a new strike on Iran

The ministers urged the United States and Israel not to resume attacks on Iran, warning that renewed fighting would widen the conflict and push oil prices higher. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, who co-convened the summit, said:

“Military intervention in Iran is not any kind of solution. We agreed that a new military attack would spread the war and the conflict in the region.”

At a press conference, Fidan added that the crisis still left considerable room for both diplomacy and war. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot argued that another war between Iran and the United States would harm both sides and worsen oil prices, which have reached their highest level since May. UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband urged both sides to choose diplomacy, as talks on Tehran's nuclear programme remain deadlocked.

Hormuz and the Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia

The ministers demanded an end to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia kept intercepting missiles fired from Yemen during the Istanbul meeting, and the Houthi campaign continues to hit key infrastructure in the kingdom. On Wednesday, 21 October, four people died in attacks on a processing plant at the Shaybah oil field, which belongs to the state-owned company Aramco. The UK sent fighter jets to help defend Saudi airspace in the week of 19 October. A UK statement said traffic through Hormuz had partly resumed but remained far below levels seen before the conflict.

Black Sea shipping and Ukraine

Shortly before the meeting, a drone sank a cargo ship off the Romanian coast, the seventh attack on a freighter in that area in October, according to tagesschau. Wadephul appealed to Vladimir Putin to accept Ukraine's long-offered negotiating hand and to end attacks on grain shipments in the Black Sea. He said all participants had agreed to do everything possible to secure the export of both Russian and Ukrainian grain, and he called on Russia to conclude a corresponding agreement with Ukraine. The ministers also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the risk that it spills over into the Black Sea.

Agenda and next steps

The agenda also covered the Palestinian issue, including settlement expansion, settler violence and the two-state solution. Turkey wanted to press Israel to stop what it called settler terrorism, and El País reported that the eight countries did not appear likely to agree on Palestine. Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia formed the Mecca defensive security pact in August, a grouping Egypt may join. The participants intend to hold such meetings regularly, and Wadephul said the next round would take place in Germany.