ANKARA, March 11 — The war raging in much of the Middle East must be stopped before it engulfs the entire region at increasing cost to the global economy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today.

“This war must be stopped before it becomes bigger and completely engulfs the region in flames,” he said, describing the Middle East as “once again enveloped in a smell of blood and gunpowder”.

“If diplomacy is given a chance, this is entirely possible,” he insisted, a day after Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi effectively ruled out negotiations with Washington, saying Tehran had had “a very bitter experience of talking with Americans”.

The war, sparked by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has caused death, displacement and destruction while roiling oil markets and leading to a spike in oil prices.

“If this senseless, lawless and irregular war continues, there will be more loss of life and property, and the cost to the global economy will increase even further,” Erdogan added, saying Turkiye was pursuing efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

Since the war began, Tehran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East.

Aside from two ballistic missile interceptions in Turkish airspace by Nato defence systems over the course of five days, Turkiye appears to have been spared. — AFP