TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Istanbul, May 22, 2026. The Daily Sabah, Turkey's leading international Turkish-language daily, devotes significant space to the diplomatic sequence accelerating around the US-Israel-Iran conflict. The newspaper highlights Islamabad's central role: Pakistani Chief of Staff, General Asim Munir, has made a new visit to Tehran, his second since the conflict began on February 28, 2026. Pakistan had already secured a ceasefire on April 8, then hosted the first direct talks between Americans and Iranians since 1979 on April 11-12 — a historic milestone that Turkish media emphasizes insistently.

In parallel with Pakistani mediation, the Daily Sabah reports the entry of a Qatari delegation to Tehran, which came "in coordination with Washington" to contribute to "a final agreement ending the war." Doha's involvement is all the more notable given that Qatar itself has suffered hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the conflict began, losing around 17% of its LNG export capacity. The Ras Laffan installation, the world's leading LNG trading hub, was severely damaged, and production has been suspended since March 2.

On the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged on Thursday "some good signs" while refusing to be overly optimistic: "I don't want to be too optimistic. Let's see what happens in the next few days." The Turkish daily faithfully reproduces Rubio's warnings about Iran's tolls in the Hormuz Strait, which Washington deems "illegal" and incompatible with any diplomatic agreement. Donald Trump has also reaffirmed that his country intends to recover Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile, which he envisions "destroying after obtaining it."

The remaining obstacles are clearly identified by sources cited in the articles: uranium enrichment and Iran's control over the Hormuz Strait remain the main points of contention. A "high-ranking Iranian official" cited by Reuters indicates that the gaps have narrowed, but no agreement has been reached. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly issued a directive banning any transfer of the uranium stockpile abroad.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has described the conflict as the world's worst energy shock, warning of maximum market tension in July-August with the summer demand. Before the war, 125-140 ships passed through Hormuz daily; this traffic is now reduced to a fraction of these volumes. Approximately 20% of global LNG trade passes through this passage, almost entirely via Qatari terminals.