Erdoğan urges restraint as Trump plays down new Iran attacks

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by telephone with US President Donald Trump on November 7, according to Anadolu Ajansı. BirGün, citing a statement from the Turkish presidency's communications directorate, reported that the conversation covered bilateral relations.

The call's significance for Iran became clearer two days later. Erdoğan said he had told Trump about his objections to another wave of attacks, DW Türkçe reported.

The November 7 conversation came as Washington and Tehran were holding talks aimed at ending the conflict, according to the subsequent account published by Cumhuriyet.

On November 8, Cumhuriyet, citing US media reports, said Trump considered new attacks on Iran unlikely as long as those talks progressed. Its headline also described him listing 38 bridges that could be destroyed within an hour, pairing his diplomatic message with a threat of rapid military action.

On November 9, Erdoğan publicly explained his position. He said Turkey did not want a new wave of attacks against Iran and that he had conveyed those concerns to Trump, according to DW Türkçe.

Trump also said on November 9 that a new military operation against Iran did not appear necessary at that point, Anadolu Ajansı reported.

On November 10, reports described pressure in the opposite direction. BirGün reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was calling Trump daily to persuade him to launch new attacks on Iran. Times of India also reported the daily appeals, while saying several Arab and Muslim leaders had advised Trump to pursue diplomacy.

Trump's latest statement in the supplied coverage plays down the immediate need for another operation. His earlier remarks tied the low likelihood of further attacks to continued progress in negotiations, according to Anadolu Ajansı and Cumhuriyet.

Erdoğan's stated opposition to renewed attacks contrasts with the reported appeals from Netanyahu. Those daily calls remain a reported claim, rather than a confirmed decision by Trump to resume military action, in the account carried by BirGün.

The central issue is whether negotiations keep moving forward. Trump has linked restraint to progress in the talks, but the supplied reports do not give a timetable for an agreement or identify a scheduled next meeting, according to the account in Cumhuriyet.

Another development to watch is whether the reported pressure from Netanyahu changes Trump's stated assessment that further military action is unnecessary. The November 10 reporting describes efforts to influence that choice, not an announced new operation, according to Times of India.