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Iran broadens its regional influence, warns Turkey

February 22, 2017 at 10:19 pm

Iran seeks to gain regional influence outside its borders, the spokesman for the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Wednesday. Diplomatic tensions escalated between Turkey and Iran on Tuesday as the countries traded accusations over their roles in the Syria conflict and the Middle East.

“Turkey cannot ignore Iran’s endeavors to gain regional influence in the region,” Abraham said, stressing that Turkey is not seeking more escalations with Tehran, but “it has to rethink its policies.”

On Monday, the Iranian authorities summoned the Turkish ambassador in Tehran over comments made by the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing the Islamic Republic of “destabilising” security in the region.

Read: Turkey accuses Iran of causing regional instability

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has criticised what he called an Iranian “sectarian policy” aimed at undermining Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

In a speech to the Munich Security Conference in the German capital Berlin, Cavusoglu has condemned Iran’s actions of undermining security in the region. He urged Tehran to to stop threatening the region’s stability and security.

“Iran wants to make Syria and Iraq Shia,” he was quoted as saying by Turkish state media.

In recent weeks, Erdogan has also accused Iran of promoting a “Persian nationalism” that had damaged the Middle East.