Turkish President says Israel must not scupper US-Iran deal

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on ​Saturday that Middle East peace efforts could ‌not succeed without regional backing and that Israel must not be allowed to "dynamite" the US-Iran peace deal.

Speaking alongside Pakistani ​Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul, Erdogan ​said: "No solution that does not take strength from ⁠the will and contributions of regional countries ​can be lasting."

Turkey, a NATO member and Iran's neighbour, ​has repeatedly accused Israel of trying to undermine the U.S.-Iran deal mediated by Pakistan, and has condemned Israeli operations in ​Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

"We are closely following ​the Israeli administration's attempts to dynamite the (U.S.-Iran) deal... The current war-addicted ‌Israeli ⁠government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again," Erdogan said.

Erdogan also said Turkey aimed to ​deepen cooperation with ​Pakistan in ⁠energy, transport, critical minerals, information technology and defence, while pursuing a bilateral ​trade target of $5 billion.

Earlier on Saturday, officials ​from ⁠both countries attended a business forum in Istanbul. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkish firms wanted ⁠to ​contribute to projects in Pakistan ​and share Turkey's energy-sector expertise as Pakistan undergoes a transformation of ​its electricity sector.

-Reuters