By Jonathan Spicer
ISTANBUL, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Turkey is opposed to any military intervention in Iran and its priority is to avoid destabilisation there, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, as Tehran continues its crackdown on protests.
With Iran’s leadership trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, and with U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to intervene on behalf of the protesters, Tehran has warned its neighbours including Turkey that it would hit American bases if Washington were to strike.
Fidan has held two calls with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in recent days, stressing the need for talks to resolve regional tensions, while a Turkish diplomatic source said Turkey was also in touch with U.S. officials, as direct communications between Tehran and Washington were suspended.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Fidan said that Turkey would continue its diplomatic initiatives to help solve the issue, and added that Ankara hoped Iran and the United States could find a solution to the conflict.
“We are against a military intervention against Iran. Iran needs to solve its authentic internal problems on its own,” he said, and added that Turkey’s priority was to avoid destabilisation in Iran.
“This is why our priority is to totally avoid any situation that would cause force to be used,” he said, adding Ankara “did not condone” the possibility of renewed violence between Tehran and Israel or the United States.
“We definitely want problems to be solved through dialogue. I think widespread destabilisation in Iran is too much for the region to handle.”
Fidan also said there was no U.S. presidential decision yet that would require Turkey to “realistically” consider a U.S. move to impose a 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran.
(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Hugh Lawson)
