Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was supposed to arrive in Türkiye on Thursday, canceled his visit following twin terrorist attacks that killed over 100 people in the southeastern city of Kerman on Wednesday, the country's state news agency IRNA said.
"Following the terrorist attacks in Kerman that martyred many Iranians, the president has canceled his visit to Türkiye ... this trip will take place at an appropriate time," Mohammad Jamshidi, political deputy at the president's office, told IRNA.
The long-delayed visit would make Raisi Erdoğan’s first guest head of state this year. It comes at a time of tensions between the West and Iran over the latter’s stance on heating the Red Sea.
Like its neighbor Türkiye, Iran is outspoken on the Palestine-Israel conflict and backs the Houthis of Yemen. It reportedly deployed a warship at the Red Sea, at a time of tensions on the key shipping route. The Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea, those delivering goods to Israel in particular, in response to Israeli aggression targeting Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Media outlets reported that the agenda of the Erdoğan-Raisi meeting will be the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza after Israel’s attacks and the delivery of aid to Gaza. Since October, Türkiye engaged in a diplomatic blitz to end the conflict, highlighting the need for a lasting solution favoring the rights of Palestinians. Ankara has proposed a guarantorship model to ensure a solution.
The two leaders previously discussed over the phone steps for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, with Erdoğan stressing the importance of the Muslim world adopting a “common stance against Israeli atrocities.”
