Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, that violations of Turkish airspace by Iran could not be justified “for any reason whatsoever.”
In a phone conversation late Monday, Erdoğan also warned Pezeshkian that Iranian strikes on other regional countries “benefit no one.”
The two leaders spoke shortly after a second ballistic missile was intercepted by NATO air defences over the eastern Mediterranean before falling to earth in Türkiye’s east-central Malatya Province.
It was the second ballistic missile fired towards Türkiye in the past week.
Tehran, meanwhile, said its forces had not fired any munitions at Türkiye.
In his call with Pezeshkian, Erdoğan also voiced Türkiye’s objection to what he described as “unlawful interventions” against Iran, noting that Ankara was pursuing intensive diplomacy aimed at ending the ongoing war between Iran, Israel and the U.S.
According to Erdoğan, Turkish officials have recently spoken with more than a dozen regional and international leaders in the hope of “finding a way out of the crisis”, now in its second week.
Pezeshkian, for his part, told his Turkish counterpart that Tehran planned to launch an investigation into allegations that its forces had launched a ballistic missile towards Turkish territory.
According to official Iranian statements, Pezeshkian also asserted that Israel and the U.S. were attempting to create tensions between Iran and its neighbours, including Türkiye.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said that “necessary measures” were being taken to “secure our borders and airspace” and that Ankara was coordinating closely with its NATO allies.
According to the ministry, these measures include the deployment of a Patriot air-defence system in Türkiye’s Malatya Province.
In a related development, Ömer Çelik, a spokesman for Türkiye’s ruling AK Party, said the regional war would not have occurred if Ankara had been given the chance to mediate between the belligerents.
In televised remarks on Monday, Çelik also said the initial U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran - which triggered the war - lacked any legal basis, adding that the consequences of a U.S. ground invasion would be “horrific”.
According to the party spokesman, Ankara does not expect any radical changes to Iranian policy under Iran’s newly elected supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint militar...
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middl...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Syria says it assured Israel that Türkiye had no plans to establish a military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before Israeli forces struck the site on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued his strongest warning yet over Türkiye's growing military role in Syria, saying Israel will not accept Turkish forces expanding their presence further south.
Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine could provide a model for neighbouring countries seeking to strengthen their sovereignty, the director of development at an organisation supporting Ukraine’s armed forces has told AnewZ.
Two days inside Uzbekistan’s newsrooms, hospitals, factories and technology hubs reveal a country eager to show how it is changing — while that transformation is still under way.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day visit, marking the first trip by Syria’s top diplomat to Pakistan in 19 years as Damascus seeks to deepen ties with the country.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment