Turkey is evaluating all aspects of potential measures that may be taken in the event of a conflict between its neighbour Iran and the United States, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Van, Çaldıran Turkey, military mobilization for security measures on the Turkish-Iranian border © Mena Today
Turkey is evaluating all aspects of potential measures that may be taken in the event of a conflict between its neighbour Iran and the United States, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month as Washington builds up military capability in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike U.S. bases in the region if it is attacked, but Tehran's top diplomat said on Tuesday that a deal with the U.S. was "within reach" if diplomacy is prioritised.
NATO member Turkey, which shares a border with Iran to its east, has said it opposes any military intervention on Iran and does not want destabilisation in the region. Ankara has been in contact with both sides to de-escalate tensions and called for a resolution of issues through diplomacy.
"Naturally, all aspects of the measures that could be taken in the event of a negative development are being evaluated," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"All scenarios are being considered; and steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of our citizens are being worked on," the person said, but added any steps that would "violate Iran's sovereignty" were "out of the question".
The source did not provide details on what measures Turkey was evaluating.
Earlier, the Turkish presidency's office for countering disinformation denied media reports that Turkey was planning to enter Iranian territory to stop a potential influx of refugees.
Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu
Iran sees the chance of a good outcome from a third round of talks with the United States, its President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday, as a delegation left for Geneva for negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.
U.S. President Donald Trump's first option with Tehran is always diplomacy but he is willing to use lethal force if necessary, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday as his top diplomat prepares to brief top congressional leaders on Iran later in the day.
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