Turkey warns of nuclear arms race if Iran gets weapons
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Turkey could be pulled into a nuclear arms race if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, arguing that such a development would reshape regional security and create pressure on neighboring countries, in an interview with CNN Turk on Tuesday.
“If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it will not be possible for others to remain indifferent,” Fidan said in the interview. He added that the outcome would not be limited to Iran, warning of a chain reaction across the Middle East driven by deterrence logic and heightened threat perceptions.
Fidan said Turkey remains opposed to nuclear proliferation and supports a diplomatic solution, but stressed that regional realities could force states into reassessing their options.
“You can’t expect countries to just watch,” he said, describing a scenario in which Iran’s nuclear capability could create a “race” that would be difficult to contain once it begins.
He framed the issue as one of strategic balance rather than ideology, saying the emergence of new nuclear powers in the region would increase the risk of escalation and miscalculation.
“This is not only Iran’s problem,” he said, calling it a wider regional and international security concern that could redraw redlines for multiple capitals.
Fidan also indicated that Ankara prefers de-escalation and renewed diplomacy, but argued that diplomacy must deliver concrete results.
“What matters is preventing a new nuclear reality in the region,” he stated, warning that failure would come with “serious consequences” for stability.
Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons should be treated as a shared international priority, he affirmed, saying that once proliferation pressures take hold, “it becomes much harder to reverse.”
Airstrikes would not lead to Iranian regime collapse, Turkish FM claims
Fidan also claimed that the Iranian regime would not collapse in the event of US or Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic.
“I don’t want to speculate on certain scenarios in Iran, but the regime won’t change through an airstrike or anything else. That’s a pipe dream,” he said.
“What could be is the government weakens, the system weakens, and it becomes unable to provide services to the people. Then, the existing regime might choose to take much more radical decisions and perhaps try to correct the situation. It could transform itself,” he noted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “showing maximum sensitivity on this issue… we want to use all available means to prevent a possible war,” he affirmed.
“Currently, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate threat of war,” he added.
Fidan: ‘Iranians don’t have atomic bombs. There is no data that they want to build them’
Additionally, Fidan insisted that Tehran does not intend to build atomic bombs.
The regime’s uranium is being enriched while also enforcing a fatwa (religious decree) imposed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declaring nuclear weapons as forbidden, Fidan claimed, repeating statements often affirmed by Iranian officials and representatives.
“With this fatwa in place, the system cannot produce a bomb. But it develops capabilities close to weaponization, which results in sanctions and treatment as if it had already produced a bomb,” Fidan said.
“The Iranians don’t have atomic bombs. There is also no data that they want to build them,” he added.
“As long as they do not cause global problems, there are no global complaints about them. No one really cares what kind of regime they have,” Fidan stated, talking about the existence of the Islamic Regime.
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