President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized recent statements by Iran and Israel as being unreasonable amid escalating tensions in the region following Israel’s strike on Iran, which came after Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.
Iran attacked Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles late on April 13 in response to Tel Aviv’s April 1 airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus.
Erdoğan basically says, Iran is lying, Israel is lying, hard to understand what US is doing: “The statements from Iran and Israel are mind-boggling. No need to weigh in on this.” https://t.co/yRkXHe7YW2
— asli aydintasbas (@asliaydintasbas) April 19, 2024
In a speech to the press after Friday prayers, Erdoğan emphasized the different positions of the two nations and pointed to the lack of credible claims in their public discourse. He also pointed to the US support for Israel in the United Nations Security Council and contrasted it with the general support for Palestine by other nations.
Erdoğan spoke not only about tensions in the Middle East but also about his upcoming visit to Iraq on Monday, where he plans to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad and Erbil.
US media reports indicate Israeli attacks on an Iranian airbase early Friday, following Iranian retaliation for the Damascus airstrike.
According to a report by Reuters citing a Western diplomat, Turkey has been contacted by Western states to convey messages of de-escalation to Iran. US officials have also visited Ankara to talk about preventing further escalation.