Türkiye opposes foreign powers’ threat of violence against Iran amid deadly protests, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said while speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Thursday.
“Our diplomatic efforts for Iran will continue; our priority is prevention of destabilization,” he said.
"Iran should solve its authentic problems on its own. We oppose any intervention," he highlighted.
Stating that he had urged his Iranian counterparts to resolve the problems with the regional countries, Fidan said: "It (Iran) should resolve its issues on the global nuclear matter through diplomacy without missing any opportunity, so that certain structural problems causing economic difficulties can be eliminated."
A senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters on Wednesday warned that Iran would strike U.S. military bases in regional countries if the U.S. attacks.
"Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Türkiye, that U.S. bases in those countries will be attacked if the U.S. targets Iran ... asking these countries to prevent Washington from attacking Iran," the official told Reuters.
Türkiye maintains close ties with both sides of the potential conflict and is one of the most vocal opponents of Israel's genocide, which joined the U.S. in support of action against Tehran.
Fidan underlined that when a country is under international isolation, the provision of certain economic services becomes restricted.
"Iran has a large population and a dynamic society. It has sophisticated people with a very strong desire for life and for participation in social life. When you deprive such a society of certain opportunities, these kinds of problems emerge.
"What gets confused here is that the hardships people face due to economic and other difficulties can appear as an ideological uprising against the regime; in reality, this constitutes a grey area.
"When examined closely, there is no situation that would whet the appetite of some countries hostile to Iran abroad, in terms of hostility toward the regime. However, the economic difficulties created by existing policies and the inability to alleviate them do give rise to serious problems. We do not want to see any intervention here, but when you look at the policies of (U.S. President Donald) Trump, we have not seen a strong preference so far for the use of ground forces," he further said.
