Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül was set to fly to Iran on Saturday evening, carrying a message from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to senior Iranian officials, diplomatic sources in Ankara said Friday.
Gül was scheduled to hold talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, and former President Hashimi Rafsanjani. A meeting with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was not planned, as Mottaki was expected to be in Germany that weekend.
Officials described the visit as part of Türkiye's broader facilitative role in line with international community expectations, with the goal of helping advance a peaceful resolution to Iran's nuclear program dispute. Gül's team had requested an audience with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Iranian officials said they would respond to that request once the delegation arrived in Tehran.
No press statements were anticipated during the visit, which was to conclude by 25 June. Gül was also scheduled to travel to the United States from 4 to 7 July, followed by a return trip to Tehran on 8 and 9 July for a summit of Iraq's neighboring states.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.