Rubio says attacks on Turkey ‘unacceptable’ after Iran missile launch

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that attacks on NATO ally Turkey’s sovereignty were “unacceptable” after the alliance shot down an Iranian missile, which a Turkish official said had veered off course.

In a call on Wednesday Rubio told Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan “that attacks on Turkey’s sovereign territory were unacceptable and pledged full support from the United States,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Turkey, a NATO member, said earlier Wednesday that NATO air defense systems had shot down a missile launched from Iran that was heading toward Turkish airspace.

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran, which was detected passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and heading towards Turkish airspace, was engaged in a timely manner by NATO air and missile defense assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the country’s defense ministry said in a statement.

It was not clear whether the missile had targeted Turkey or was meant for another country, but NATO condemned it as an attack on Turkey.

Iran later denied that the missile was aimed at Turkey.

Agence France-Presse with reporting from Turkish Minute