Wadephul travels to Turkey: half a day for the big crises

Wadephul in Turkey Half a day for the major crises As of: October 23, 2026 • 8:39 a.m

The Strait of Hormuz, the attacks by the Houthis, the war in Ukraine - in search of ways out of these conflicts, Foreign Minister Wadephul is meeting with an unusual group in Istanbul. Are new alliances emerging there?

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will probably not have time for a walk along the Bosphorus during this visit. He only spends half a day in the metropolis, but it is likely to be intense. The French and British foreign ministers, the so-called E3, are also traveling alongside him. In the short term, the Italian Foreign Minister also joins in. They come across the foreign ministers of an alliance that was only formed this year, the R4, consisting of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt. Last night it became known that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan surprisingly also wanted to take part.

Many observers see the Turkish initiative as a sign that many states are looking for new alliances - without traditional major powers like the USA.

The meeting was actually supposed to take place at the end of August, but it was canceled at short notice. Now the Turkish Foreign Minister has invited Hakan Fidan again and directly raised the question of possible cooperation. Nothing is known yet about what exactly this might look like. One thing is certain: both formats could benefit from each other's contacts.

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According to government circles, it is supposed to be about the major conflicts in the region. In particular, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict in Yemen with its impact on shipping and the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are topics.

“What unites us is that these entrenched conflicts also have a massive impact on the economic situation and security of our countries - and the willingness to look for new ways to find solutions,” emphasizes Wadephul before his departure.

The loss of grain exports across the Black Sea as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine would also be on the agenda. Turkish Foreign Ministry circles also say that the situation in Gaza and Israel's settlement policy must also be discussed at the event.

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Of particular interest to all participants will be the entrenched conflict between Iran and the USA - with implications for the global energy market. The Strait of Hormuz is still only accessible to a limited extent; according to various media reports, the average number of passages is less than 70 percent compared to before the war. Just yesterday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard attacked several tankers again.

In view of high energy prices, the federal government decided to introduce a refueling discount from October. Berlin is also considering possible direct payments to compensate for high energy prices to households with low incomes. There is currently no easing in sight - on the contrary: many observers in the region have been expecting the war to flare up again for weeks. There have been a number of mutual threats in the past few days.

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There is also speculation as to whether Israel will enter the war again; parliamentary elections are scheduled there next week. There were signs: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a surprise trip to Israel this week, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also visited a military base.

The Israeli prime minister also stated that overthrowing the Iranian leadership was the only way. "This is my instruction to the Israeli army, the Mossad and the security organs." As long as Iran wants to destroy Israel, there is an existential danger.

A possible renewed escalation is likely to cause discontent among the R4 countries. Turkey and Pakistan have a border with Iran, Saudi Arabia is only separated by the Persian Gulf. Since the beginning of the month, the kingdom has also been subjected to almost daily attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

They repeatedly fired drones and missiles from Yemen towards the neighboring country. An attack on Riyadh's international airport left 13 people dead and more than 300 others injured.

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Pakistan and Turkey see themselves primarily as mediators. Turkey condemned the Iranian attacks on the Gulf states, but at the same time criticized the American and Israeli attacks on Iran and called for a diplomatic solution. Turkey is currently trying to use its diplomatic relations with Tehran to persuade the Iranian regime to bring the Houthis under control.

In addition, Pakistan and Turkey recently joined forces with Saudi Arabia to form the so-called Mecca Pact, a military alliance that, like NATO, provides for an alliance. Turkish security experts suspect that Ankara primarily provides military equipment and advisory support and does not send troops. The pact is currently being ratified in the Turkish parliament.

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Pakistan currently has the best connection to Tehran. In view of the new threat of war, its army chief traveled to Iran for talks this week. He had already mediated between Tehran and Washington in the past.

But his visit doesn't seem to have made any progress. From Tehran it is said: The USA has to move. “We never left the negotiating table,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told ARD.

Messages would continue to be exchanged through intermediaries. The problems, from the Iranian perspective: The United States insisted on unilateral demands, and there was no trust whatsoever. "The fact that they attacked Iran twice in less than a year while we were in negotiations shows that they are not really serious about diplomacy," Baghaei said.

There will certainly be no solutions to all of this at the meeting between Wadephul and the other foreign ministers in Istanbul. Nevertheless, a statement to the press is planned. Government circles say that they hope that, together with Turkey and the other states, they can make a contribution to calming the conflict. Or at least to prevent it from escalating again.

This topic in the program: BR24 Radio | News | Oct 23, 2026 | 07:05 amtagesschau.de | Under Tehran's observation: 7-way meeting of foreign ministers in Istanbul | Oct 22, 2026 | 5:42 p.m