Turkey Denies Supporting US-’Israeli’ Strikes on Iran

By Staff, Agencies

The Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications rejected on Saturday allegations circulating on social media that Ankara backed the joint US-"Israeli" military strikes on Iran.

Its Center for Combating Disinformation described the claims as "completely baseless" and "disinformation intended to mislead the public."

"In any conflict or war to which it is not a party, the Republic of Turkey does not allow any of its air, land, or sea elements, including its airspace, to be used for operational purposes in favor of the parties," the statement read, calling this one of Turkey's "fundamental foreign policy and security principles."

While Ankara has not formally condemned the aggression, Turkey had repeatedly warned against military action targeting Iran in the weeks leading up to Saturday's strikes.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged Washington not to yield to "Israeli" pressure, warning that an attack would "seriously damage an already fragile region."

President Erdogan cautioned that a new conflict involving Iran could trigger "a fresh wave of destruction" in West Asia and offered Turkey as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.