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
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will sign a joint defence agreement on Friday, regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, at a time of regional turmoil with Gulf states coming under fire from Iran after it was attacked by the U.S. and Israel.
An Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S., Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a lawmaker.
With President Donald Trump’s war against Iran now in its sixth month, this week's flurry of threats and diplomacy has underscored the ever-tighter bind he finds himself in as he tries to extricate the U.S. from an unpopular conflict he originally claimed would last just weeks.
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