Turkish FM says US military intervention unlikely to bring regime change in Iran

Iran is aware of the threats it has faced following US and Israeli air strikes in June last year, as well as after the mass anti-government protests last month - the bloodiest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with the Financial Times.

Report quotes him as saying US President Donald Trump had "deployed an armada of American warships across the Middle East," while considering military options against Iran following the protests.

He said the Iranian authorities understand that the social unrest was largely driven by economic hardship, that is why they realise that the issue of sanctions needs to be addressed.

Fidan also said that in the event of military escalation, US strikes would be unlikely to lead to a change in Iran's ruling system.

"I don't think that regime change will occur," Fidan said. "Of course, the government organs and some other targets would be badly hit and damaged, destroyed. But the regime as a political entity would be a functioning entity."

The Turkish foreign minister added that the Trump administration and Iran must avoid the mistakes of the past, when regional states felt excluded from negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.

"It will be important for Iran to pair any agreement with the US with steps that strengthen confidence with regional partners . . . that balance is essential," Fidan said.

"There is a significant trust gap with regional countries, and addressing that dimension is essential," he said.

Fidan believes that both the US and Iran are ready to compromise in order to reach a nuclear agreement, but warned that expanding the talks to include Iran's ballistic missile programme would be "nothing other than a new war."

According to him, Washington has signalled a willingness to show flexibility on a key demand - the complete cessation of Iran's uranium enrichment. Tehran is genuinely seeking a viable agreement and is ready to accept limits on enrichment levels and a strict inspection regime, as was the case under the 2015 deal, he added.

"It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries," said Fidan, who is in constant contact with US, Iranian and regional officials.