Turkey and Iran discuss PKK, ISIS, and regional security in key Tehran meeting

The head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, held high-level discussions in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart to address counterterrorism efforts and the situation in Syria, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

During his visit, Kalin met with Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib and top security official Ali Akbar Ahmadian, who serves as the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. 

The discussions focused on joint efforts to combat terrorist organizations, particularly the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and ISIS (Daesh), Anadolu reported on Saturday evening.

Additionally, they addressed shared security threats, developments in Syria, the ceasefire in Gaza, and the Palestinian issue—all of which remain critical areas of concern for both Ankara and Tehran.

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, leading to tens of thousands of deaths.

Despite historically opposing positions in the Syrian civil war, where Turkey backed anti-Assad forces and Iran supported the Syrian regime, the two regional powers have recently found common ground.

Following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met in Cairo, where they jointly called for Syrian unity. This shift in policy reflects a growing realignment in Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Parallel to these intelligence and security talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday to discuss bilateral relations and the Palestinian crisis, Anadolu cited diplomatic sources as saying.