Gül Visits Tehran for Talks on Iran's Nuclear Standoff

Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül traveled to Tehran in June 2006 for a packed schedule of high-level meetings during a single-day visit.

His agenda included separate sessions with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki.

Before departing Ankara's Esenboğa Airport, Gül described Türkiye's active role in seeking a negotiated way out of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, saying the goal was to ease tensions through diplomacy. He expressed measured optimism, noting that critical meetings lay ahead and that he hoped all parties would show responsibility.

Upon landing in Tehran, Gül said the visit was intended to convey Türkiye's perspective on the value of a diplomatic path, and that he also carried a direct message from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He noted that Erdoğan and Ahmadinejad had already spoken by telephone on the issue.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.