Turkiye opposes ‘any military intervention’ against Iran: Foreign minister

Turkiye is opposed to “any military intervention” against Iran, said the Turkish foreign minister on Thursday, urging Tehran to resolve its “own internal problems by itself”, Anadolu Agency reports.

“When examined closely, there is no situation that would whet the appetite of some countries hostile to Iran abroad, in terms of hostility toward the regime. However, the economic difficulties created by existing policies, and the inability to alleviate them, do give rise to serious problems. We do not want to see any intervention here,” Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul.

He added, referring to recent statements by the US president: “When you look at the policies of (Donald) Trump, we have not seen a strong preference so far for the use of ground forces.”

Speaking on the recent protests, he said that when a country faces sanctions, certain economic services become restricted, adding: “Iran has a large population and a dynamic society. It has sophisticated people with a very strong desire for life and for participation in social life. When you deprive such a society of certain opportunities, these kinds of problems emerge.”

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He added: “What gets confused here is that the hardships people face due to economic and other difficulties can appear as an ideological uprising against the regime; in reality, this constitutes a grey area.”

Stressing the importance of Iran for Turkiye, Fidan said that everything related to Iran “concerns us,” adding that Tehran solving problems with “certain actors” benefits Ankara.

Stating that he had urged his Iranian counterparts to resolve their problems with other countries, Fidan said: “It should resolve its issues on the global nuclear matter through diplomacy without missing any opportunity, so that certain structural problems causing economic difficulties can be eliminated.”

Turkiye will continue to follow developments and its diplomatic efforts for Iran, he said.

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