Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is preparing to visit Iran in the coming weeks, with Turkish media reporting that coordination for the trip is underway. Erdoğan is expected to meet President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in what the pro-government outlet Star Gazetesi has called a “critical summit.”
While trade and energy deals will likely be on the agenda, two issues are expected to dominate the talks: a possible normalization of relations between Iran and Syria, and efforts to restart nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Turkey has emerged as a leading regional power in Syria over the past year, but has struggled to manage the fragmented landscape, including Israel’s continued strikes in the south and the stalled integration efforts of Kurdish forces in the north. Analysts suggest Ankara may try to involve Tehran more directly in mediation by pushing for a Syria–Iran rapprochement.
However, the U.S. under President Donald Trump has made its wishes clear that it wants the new Syrian government to keep Iran out of the country.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that earlier this year, under Turkish direction, the Syrian government of President Ahmed al-Sharra allowed the resumption of weapons transfers from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon—flows that had been halted following the fall of Damascus last December.
Turkish media is also suggesting that Erdoğan may raise the issue of reviving nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, potentially positioning Turkey as mediator after negotiations collapsed in June, following U.S.-supported Israeli strikes that triggered direct American attacks on Iran.
If Erdoğan pursues mediation, he may be doing so at Washington’s quiet request. Reports over the past six months indicate that the Trump administration has attempted to restart talks, but Iran has refused, citing attacks carried out with U.S. knowledge just 48 hours before the scheduled negotiations on June 13.