Last week, prior to its attack on Israel, Iran disclosed its potential retaliation strategies to Turkey, a Turkish diplomatic official revealed to CNN. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan subsequently relayed these potential scenarios to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
According to the source, Iran’s planned actions were anticipated. “Iran had briefed us on their response options beforehand,” the source explained, noting that these possibilities were also discussed during Fidan’s conversation with Blinken. The U.S. reportedly urged Iran, through Turkish intermediaries, to keep its retaliatory measures within defined bounds.
In their response, Iranian representatives assured that their actions would strictly be retaliatory, specifically addressing the recent assault on their embassy in Damascus, and would not exceed this scope.
Furthermore, Turkish diplomatic officials noted that on Sunday, Fidan had conversations with both the Iranian foreign minister and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, emphasizing Turkey’s desire to avoid any further escalation in the region and advocating for de-escalation.