Turkey is eager to see a revival of the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States as the region adapts to President Joe Biden’s arrival in the White House.


On January 29, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to this during a press conference alongside his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. He said that Turkey hopes that “with the Biden administration, the United States will return to this agreement and cooperation on the (nuclear) issue is restored.” He added that it was his hope that the “sanctions and embargoes imposed on brotherly Iran are lifted.”


This sentiment sets Turkey apart from its neighbours in the Middle East, such as Israel or Saudi Arabia, said Dr. Hamidreza Azizi, a Berlin-based research fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWA).


“Unlike some other countries in the region, Turkey is really in favour of the revival of the nuclear agreement,” Azizi told Ahval in a recent podcast. For Ankara, a return to diplomacy would reduce its insecurity amidst the simmering tensions between its large neighbour and most important NATO ally.